Records of the Indomitable
by Naryfiel Lilith
Summary: The legendary heroes of Magvel, divinely blessed with the Sacred Twin weapons and the Sacred stones, who sealed away the Demon King after a terrible, bloody battle... rivers ran red with blood, and corpses piled higher than mountains, yet still, they persevered. This is the story of how they pushed through all the pain and fear to change their home, forever. (FE8 Backstory)
1. Chapter 1) Children of Demons

Chapter 1) Children of Demons

* * *

 _The world is a mess. Always has been, always will be. But for the moment, it's even worse. All because of the Demon King. No one knows where he came from. No one knows who he is. No one even knows his name. 'Demon King' is simply something people started calling him, after the monsters, the demons, he commands and controls._

 _His takeover started off simply. A bit of manipulation here and there, and he had countries fighting brutal wars against each other. Borders shifted, families were slaughtered… and in the middle of the chaos, he began to move. His demons slowly picked off soldiers, inciting even more rage and battle, until everyone was absolutely exhausted. That's when he came out into the open to deal with the dregs. No one even bothers remembering the old countries anymore. Everyone is too exhausted to try._

 _You still had the defiant, though. The people who, despite all logic and sense, continued fighting. Not because they had unyielding spirits or anything, but simply because they refused to give up. Even as they broke, they continued stumbling forward, leaving shards in their wake as they navigated the mountains of corpses and the rivers of blood._

 _I think it's safe to say those people are absolutely insane. But, sometimes, you need a bit of insanity to hold onto hope._

* * *

I always hated it when new demons showed up. They always screwed up our plans and made battles go on longer than anticipated. But this time was especially annoying, and not just because of unhelpful commentary from my friends. I was dealing with a flying creature wielding a wicked lance and, unlike the other flying demon, this one wasn't a giant eyeball that boiled in the desert sun.

"Evelyn, above!"

"Of course it's above! Where else would it be, Raphaela? Under the ground?" I dodged the strike, glowering as the flying thing darted out of reach again. "It has wings!" The demon flew for me again. This time, I waited for as long as I dared before dodging, catching the thing in the wing. "Ha!" With it crippled, I was able to wrap my leg around its neck to slam it down into the sands, pinning it with my foot. It thrashed about wildly, trying to claw my leg, but I wedged the tip of my lance under its jaw and popped its head off. Blood spewed everywhere, and soaked the sand, but it eventually stopped squirming. "Another one for me~!" I stepped back and looked over everyone else, noticing there were no more monsters. "Okay, sound off! Who's not dead?" There was a chorus of groans and I laughed. "Tend to the injured and double-check that the bastards are dead!"

There was another chorus of groans and I walked around the perimeter, pulling my hood up to protect myself from the sun. We all wore sun-balm, of course, but it was careless to rely only on that. Particularly when we had been fighting and sweating so much. Carelessness invited death in the desert, from everything from the sun to the storms to the wild animals. And demons. That's why I always did a patrol immediately after a battle, to make sure there were none hiding.

Thankfully, there were none, so I returned and crouched down by the new demon's corpse, studying it closely. "Yep, this is definitely a new one," I murmured, prodding the corpse with the end of my lance. The skin gave easily, like it was wet paper, and so more blood dribbled out. "I wonder if it's edible?"

"Ugh, gross, Evelyn!" Raphaela chided, leaning over me and providing convenient shade. Her braid fell over her shoulder and whacked me on the head. "Oops."

"I swear you need to cut your hair. That braid of yours is a lethal weapon." I looked up at her with a grin. "We should get some of the dyes from the tailors and dye it silver. Like a sword!"

"Denied. I like my hair."

"You were just complaining two days ago about having 'boring brown' hair."

"Well, silver is worse! I'll look like an old lady!"

"It'll match your eyes~!" I hopped to my feet, giggling. "Silver hair for silver eyes!"

"Screw you, Evelyn!"

"If you're offering, Raphaela…" I smirked and she yelped, turning bright-bright red. She always did when I teased her like that. "Too easy." I waved to everyone, smiling brightly. "We good? Everything clear?" Bunches of affirmatives. "Excellent! Forage for anything interesting, and gather up any useful armor and weapons! Blah, blah, blah, you know the routine by now!"

There was some laughter then, because everyone _did_ know the routine, and there was a mad scramble as everyone grabbed whatever looked useful. I, of course, did the same, going to inspect the lance the new demon had been using, a beautiful one made of some pitch-black metal. The balance was perfect, and the edge sharp enough to cut a strange of hair easily. There was something odd about it though. I couldn't place it, but it just felt cold, despite the sun being up and boiling everything. Of course, one person's instincts alone was no excuse to leave a perfectly viable weapon, so I tucked it under my arm, resolving to have someone more magic-inclined to look at it. Not Raphaela. She was a skilled magic user, but she hated the whole 'study' part of it.

The distinctive cry of a red-tailed hawk made me smile, and I brought up my free arm just as my Nike landed delicately on my wrist, carefully making sure her talons were on my leather glove. I lowered my arm gently to nuzzle her, and she carefully ran her beak through my hair to preen me. "Did you get worried when we were out so long?" I asked her sweetly, kissing her beak. She opened up her wings and raised her feathers, conveying fear, before relaxing and shaking her feathers out. "Oh, I'm sorry." I nuzzled her again, and she crooned. "I'll make sure you get a nice treat later." The wind gusted then, tugging my hood completely off, nearly pulling my hair out of its bun, and making my cloak flutter about my legs. "No clouds… for now. We'd better get moving, just in case. We are in the storm season." I looked to everyone else with a smile. "Let's get moving, everyone! We've missed breakfast by now, so we're going to have a big lunch, okay?"

Things like this were part of our daily lives. Every day, before the sun rose, a morning patrol would leave to see if there were any demons too close to home. While in the past the answer was 'no', we had been getting more and more lately. Typically, though, we'd be done before the sun climbed too high in the sky, so we would get back in time for breakfast and before the town was really awake. That new one, however, had delayed us, so the town was lively and bustling when we returned, and I barely had time to loft Nike into the air before our group was tackled by people very intent on giving us a warm welcome back, with hugs and kisses and laughs.

Not that it was anything unusual, the warmth. Everyone in the town knew each other, and encouraged affection. After all, we had to depend on each other to survive. Zada might be situated in a near perfect spot, right by the Vrep and several oases, but everyone had to pool all their resources together to make sure we made it through each year. Still, no matter how hard life could get, we all smiled and sang, laughing and laughing. Because we were, essentially, a big family.

And what family wasn't complete without animals? Ours were weird in comparison to the normal. Minxie the Desert Lynx, for instance, or Snow, the Fennec Fox. Typically wild animals that wouldn't be anywhere near humans if things weren't bad. However, thanks to the demons and their King… well, the desert animals quickly learned that working together with humans maximized survival with demons running about. So, we had quite a few living among us, and even more living near, within sight. Most would cycle through, staying in the city with us while they had babies, and then moving out to the outskirts once the babies were old enough to hunt. Some, like Minxy and Snow, stayed. Nike didn't count; she was from the hawks Ishmael kept.

"Hey, hey, you're heavy, Mixie!" I laughed, kissing her on the head after she knocked me down. Snow squirmed his way under my arm immediately afterwards. "Yes, yes, I love you both too." I kissed both on the head, and they licked and nuzzled me in turn before darting away to return to their actual owners. "They're so sweet~!"

"And there's my sweaty little sister." Kas leaned over me, grinning. He had his hair down, as typical for when he wasn't doing anything, and it fell in my face. "Wow, you smell," he teased. I rolled my eyes and stood up, noticing how everyone else in my group was also being swarmed. "You might want to bathe in perfume instead of water."

"Like you smell better after a monster hunt!" I scowled and saw that Kratos, his red-tailed hawk, wasn't on his shoulder as usual, probably met up with Nike to return to aviary for a well-deserved rest. So, I slipped behind Kas before jumping on his back. "Carry me!"

"Ugh! Gross! You're getting your sweat on me!" Still, he caught me and carried me without hesitation, easily weaving his way through the crowd and into the fortress where we had our rooms. "Fine way to thank your brother for coming to meet you."

"Oh please. You do the same to me!" I laughed and hugged him, resting my chin on his shoulder. "There was a new type of demon."

"Another one? Damn." He glanced back and smiled at me. "Luckily, I already drew your bath for you, so you can relax as soon as possible."

"Yay~! You're the best~!" I giggled, amused. Once, there would've been a time where I'd never say those words...

Kas and I didn't always get along so well. When we were little… back during the early years of the war, back when it was just people fighting instead of demons… we got into the _worst_ arguments. Sometimes, they even got physical. Drove our parents insane, as well as Liane and Rachel. But then the dead rose, and people wanted scapegoats, and…

There used to be seven of us. Dad, Mom, Liane, Rachel, Kas, me, and sweet little Oliver. One of the very few things Kas and I ever agreed about, back then, was that Oliver was the absolute best and the cutest thing ever. He'd toddle after us with his blanket, tearing up if he thought he was alone. Not that we didn't love our big sisters any less, of course. Rachel had always tried to act older than she was, always in a hurry to grow up, while Liane had been the sister that did her best to be calm and serene, but had a hair-trigger temper. The house had always been loud, always lively. But, looking back, it had been warm. It had been happy.

Then the dead rose, and people desperately hunted for scapegoats. Kas and I inherited our Mom's coloring, the crimson hair and crimson eyes that looked like fresh blood, while Liane had just gotten the eyes. All of us had been bullied for the difference, because they were so unlike everyone else in the village. Thankfully, Rachel and Oliver escaped bullying, since they had gotten Dad's blonde hair and green eyes, but our family had always been the designated targets. That time hadn't been different. Well, except for how _deadly_ it had been.

Our neighbors killed Dad first, while he was tending the garden. Just walked up and bashed his head with some farming tools until it cracked open like an egg. While they did that, others forced their way into the house, screaming that we were demons who had cursed them. Mom had tried to shield us while we tried to run, but they beat her to death too, blood flying everywhere. I never saw how Liane or Rachel died. Just heard their screams after they shoved Kas, Oliver, and me into a back closet. And then our neighbors set the house on fire, because killing us wasn't enough.

Kas and I had run, holding onto Oliver as we tried to escape. But Oliver had dropped his blanket, and he went back for it, and then… well, the ceiling collapsed on him. I had frozen, but Kas had grabbed me and dragged me out. We ran to the woods and hid, trembling and struggling to not cry, to not make a single noise. When the fire burned out, we crawled back to see if anyone was somehow alive, but of course, they weren't. They were all burnt husks. Worse, our neighbors were near, confirming the dead, so we had to run. We ran and ran and ran, children who had no idea what was going on. Who couldn't understand.

At some point in the blur of our flight, we ended up in the desert and collapsed from the heat. Kindly locals, descendants of some great desert kingdom that fell to ruin centuries ago, saved us. They raised us, smiled at us, reassured us… they helped us piece together what we had left. And Kas and I made a vow to never have an awful fight again, because we were all each other had.

"You went super quiet," Kas murmured, dragging me from my memories. A look around showed we were almost to my room. And that someone had replaced the flowers in the vased while I was out. "Everything okay? Tired?"

"I'm fine," I whispered. I hugged him a little tighter, remembering those horrible days. "I love you."

"I love you too, my sweet little sister." He laughed. "You still smell horrible, though."

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

After my bath, and lunch, I made my way first to the aviary to make sure Nike got back safely. I saw her napping alongside Kratos and her other siblings, Bia and Zelus, and simply left them all treats before going to Ishmael's study. Ishmael was the leader of Zada, inherited from his mother, and he was the one who raised Kas and me. I loved him as dearly as I loved Dad, and when I was younger, I would often sneak into his study to play little pranks. Nowadays, I did my best to not disturb him, except for things like reports. And, unfortunately, the sighting of a new demon was always a thing to report.

"A flying monster that seems to hold up against the desert fairly well," Ishmael murmured, frowning slightly. The expression never suited his face; smiles suited him better. But there was little to smile about today. "That… isn't good…" He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He let his posture slump slightly, and I winced, noticing how… old he was. Older, at least. His hair was more gray than black nowadays, and his eyes, the same silver as Raphaela's, were incredibly tired. "How difficult was the fight?"

"I think if we saw them again, Father, we'd be fine," Raphaela replied for me, setting a cup of tea down for Ishmael. The meeting was her, me, Kas, and Ishamel, as was typical. I'd read stories about 'councils' for leaders and whatnot, but Ishmael ruled alone, and sought out advice when he needed it. "We were taken by surprise. Way better than when that giant one eyed one showed up." Kas and I, both leaning against the wall, shared a wince. Thankfully, that one had gotten bogged down by the heavy sands, and we tricked it into collapsing into a sand dune before letting the magic users bombard it, but between its regenerating abilities and it actually _eating_ people… that had been a bad fight. We sang a lot of funeral and Prayer songs that day. "Think arrows would go right through the wings and cripple it. Magic might work well as well, but I didn't get a chance to check that."

"It also seemed to be on the fragile side?" I commented lightly, thinking of the fight. I'd gotten it in about two or three hits. "It's defenses were good, and it did a lot of hit and run, but if you got it, it went fast."

"And there were only like… one or two, so…" Silence fell as we tried to not squirm. The _one_ one-eyed demon had nearly annihilated us. "So… um...

"Ishmael?" Kas began, interrupting Raphaela. He pushed off the wall and walked in front of the desk, expression neutral. I had a bad feeling about this. "May I request something?"

"Kasimir, you are always far too formal," Ishmael chided. It was the one 'argument' we had with him. We were so incredibly grateful to him that we gave him our highest respect, especially now that we were older and could better recognize he sacrifices he made. He would always tell us to be more casual. "What is it?"

"I would like permission to leave the desert and gather information on what's going on in the outside world." Silence filled the room again, this time from shock, and my jaw dropped. Of all the… "May I?"

"Are you insane, Kasimir?!" Raphaela immediately snapped, her voice going high with shock and anger-born-from-worry. In fact, her voice went so high that I had to check the window to make sure it hadn't cracked. And I was briefly distracted by the pretty colors, but hey, I was tired. "You can't leave!"

"I don't think that's your decision to make," Kas replied cooly, not even looking at her. His attention was solely on Ishmael, who had closed his eyes to think. "But I truly believe we need more information. Monster attacks have become more and more frequent, and we've gotten two new ones in less than a year."

"We're fine! We're in the desert!" Raphaela shook her head violently, braid going this way and that. Thanks to the length, it actually did knock a paperweight off the desk, but Kas caught it before it hit the ground. I told her that she should've cut it before it got to her knees, but _noooo_ … "There's no reason to help them!"

"Who said anything about helping them?" Now Kas looked at her, with that droll expression that showed he was close to losing his temper. "I don't give a damn about them. They can all burn and rot. But _not_ if it means we're going to follow them. I don't hate them that much."

"But-!"

"Enough," Ishmael ordered. His voice was calm and even, and didn't go above a conversational tone, but all three of us automatically straightened at the sheer authority in his voice. "There is no need to yell. I am sure Kasimir is well aware of the dangers associated with leaving, more so than you, my dear." He opened his eyes and nodded. "I agree with you, Kasimir. I have long feared the same. However, between outsiders rebuffing our previous offers to help and the sheer pain that it has inflicted on many of our people, I have kept our distance. But it may well be that this is not a conflict where we _can_ continue being neutral. We need more information. _Unbiased_ information."

"Why not just ask the more recent refugees?" Raphaela demanded. Her voice was becoming a little shrieky, hinting she was close to losing it. I shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure what to do. I never did when there were arguments. "Surely they can-"

"I want the most recent and, again, unbiased information. And I would rather not reopen freshly healed scars." Ishmael smiled kindly at her. "That all said, speaking to them _is_ something you can do while Kasimir is away, Raphaela."

"That is not what I-!"

"I'm going with him," I immediately stated, hands on my hips as I did my best to look confident despite how tired I was. I wasn't sure how much I succeeded, but I hoped it got my point across. "For one thing, Styx is the only one who can keep up with Pallas."

"I figured that would be a given, Evelyn," Ishmael gently teased. He smiled warmly. "You are right, though. Styx and Pallas are among our fastest horses."

"Just being sure." I was glad he agreed, though. I had never argued with Ishmael, aside from the whole 'be more casual' thing, and I didn't want to start. I would, for Kas, but… "In that case, Kas and I should go ahead and pack. We'll probably want to leave tonight."

"Yes, the sooner we have more information, the better. For all of our futures." Ishmael leaned forward and took the paperweight from Kas. "Send any dissenters to me."

It was as good of a dismissal as anything, so Kas and I left quickly, and walked down the hall in silence. Until we were a 'safe' distance away. Then I grumbled, "I can't believe we are leaving the desert."

"It's just for information," Kas reminded, a touch defensive now. He smiled hesitantly. "You don't have to-"

"There is no way in hell I am letting you go beyond the sands without me. We know damn well what most people _still_ think of people with our coloring." We had a new refugee, Sierra, who was the victim of such a thing. She had been tied to a stake and publicly burned, but had someone survived and, even more miraculously, her brother, Damion, got her here. Both were still being treated, with Sierra covered in bandages and Damion rendered mute from the trauma of it all. "Damn bastards."

"I'd apologize, but…"

"But you're not wrong." I made sure to look him in the eyes to maximize the sincerity I conveyed. "You're not. I have no qualms using the outside world as a shield, but only if it means we'll still survive if that shield buckles. And we have to see what's going on to determine if that is the case or not." I hated the outside world. I hated all the people who lived in it. But I loved my home. I loved my family. And I loved more than I hated. Ishmael had taught us that. "I'm just worried that we won't be able to find anything before someone tries to kill us."

"We'll come up with precautions. And we're both very fast."

"True."

"Kasimir! Evelyn!" Both of us turned as Raphaela jogged to catch up to us. "Seriously, this whole thing is stupid!" she protested. Kas closed his eyes, quietly counting to ten. I just sighed, already knowing what was about to happen. "If things get rough, we can just move!"

"And go _where_ exactly?" Kas retorted, perfectly sarcastic. He held himself stiffly, and his expression was as stony as a statue. He'd lost his temper. "Ignoring the whole 'water and food' thing that is kind of non-negotiable, the continent isn't exactly endless." Kas's voice dropped a bit, adding more force behind the terse words. "Are you suggesting that we somehow build boats and sail away into the unknown? Despite none of us knowing _how_ to build boats or sail?"

"That's not…" Raphaela winced. "I mean…"

"You have a brain. I advise you to use it." Kas stormed off and, after hugging Raphaela, I followed him.

"You could've been a _little_ nicer, you know," I scolded once she was out of sight, prodding his face. I felt so sorry for her. Not just because she was worried, but... "You know she's in love with you."

"Wow, I completely missed it with her confessing those feelings to my face," Kas instantly replied, rolling his eyes. He held himself stiffly, but didn't bat my hand away. He knew he had been too harsh and mean. "I already told her that I didn't feel the same. And likely never would." He glanced at me. "Also, not sure about the implication that she's being so argumentative because she…"

"I said you should've been _nicer_ for that reason, not that it was why she is acting as she is." I knew she was being so argumentative because she loved us dearly and knew how dangerous this was. "You've just been so much harsher with her recently." I remembered how hurt she had been after Kas had rejected her. He had done his best to be as gentle as possible about it, but some things just hurt no matter what. And their friendship had been fraying ever since, sadly. "It's a little…"

"I'm _trying_ to get her to stop clinging to those damn feelings, thinking that if she holds onto them long enough and is patient enough, I'll change my mind." He glared at the floor. "It's been a year. And I'm tired of pretending I don't notice the longing looks and jealous glares."

"...I'm sorry…" It was awkward for me. Raphaela was a dear friend, and Kas was my brother. I wanted them to be happy, but… "I don't…"

"I know; I know." He sighed and slung an arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry. This should just be something she and I deal with, but you're getting dragged into the middle." He kissed my hair, and I half-smiled. At least he acknowledged how awkward it was. "Maybe the time away will finally give her heart that restart. But neither here nor there. Let's figure out what to pack and the like. And are we taking all four of the hawks?"

"Bia and Zelus are going to do whatever they want, like always." Uneasiness sank into me. The outside world… the land beyond the desert… it had been over ten years since we left. I didn't like heading back. "Let's try not to get burned, shall we?"

* * *

"Ugh… I forgot how much humidity _sucked_ …" I groaned, grimacing as Kas and I rode along some half-ruined road, a day or so beyond the desert. I felt like I was freaking swimming through the air. "Blech…" Something wet fell on my hand, and I looked down to see there was a half-eaten mouse sitting there. "Oh, Nike, you're so sweet." Because who didn't love having a dead animal dropped on their hand?

"I think they know how uneasy we are," Kas replied, holding up what might've once been a squirrel. Before Kratos had torn it in half. "I'm thankful Bia and Zelus stayed behind."

"Same." It was fairly typical, truthfully. Nike was 'mine', Kratos was Kasamir's, while Bia and Zelus honestly just stuck around because we amused them. "We'd have at least three times as much as they started competing with each other."

"Yeah…" We reached an widening of the road, but there was no town. Not a real one. Just the ruined, overgrown remains of one. Again. "Damn, this is the fifth one."

"And it looks even worst than the last one." Kas sighed and tossed the remains of the squirrel so that Kratos could catch it. Which he did, happily. "What the hell?"

"I don't know." I lobbed the mouse, because I knew Nike loved timing her catches with the highest point in the arc. She chirped in triumph when she managed it. "I don't know."

Kas and I had been riding along the border for days, trying to find a town where we could eavesdrop. However, the first place we tried to cross was actually teeming with demons, so we had to retreat back a day or so before trying again. But each time it seemed like we found a place, it was utterly empty. A large grave slowly being devoured by nature. One that matched the very extensive graveyard on the edges of the ruins. While some were neat, and old, others were done haphazardly and much newer, with wooden markers instead of stone. Weeds covered all of them, though, to the point that you couldn't see any sort of name.

"I wonder how many there are," Kas whispered. He was looking at one mound that looked very, very small. Smaller than Oliver small. Baby small. "How many…?

"We could try to count them," I half-suggested. I didn't really want to, though. I already wasn't in a good mood, and this just made me feel worse. "It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for them."

"Really?"

" _Almost_." Part of me, the part that still remembered Liane's lectures, whispered something about being uncharitable. The rest of me ached from their deaths far too much. "Feel bad for the kids, though."

"Now _that_ I can agree with." Kas clicked his tongue and Pallas set off on a trot. Styx fell in step without me having to say anything. Kratos and Nike flew by us for a brief while before landing on the saddles to ride and rest. "We've still got daylight. Let's keep on going."

"Sounds good."

And so, we continued on the broken road, looking for a place that wasn't graves and more graves. Surprisingly, we did eventually come across a town with some signs of life. In that it wasn't overgrown with weeds and vines, and it looked like someone made an effort to keep _some_ of the buildings in some sort of 'good condition'. Kas and I dismounted and left Styx and Pallas loosely tied just outside the town, and left Nike and Kratos with them as a 'warning system'. Then we made sure our hoods were up, our hair was firmly tied back, and began walking through, looking for a place where people might be gathered. However, there wasn't any sort of 'marketplace' operating here. There was barely anyone walking through the streets.

"The hell is going on?" I whispered, looking this way and that. I didn't see any children playing, or even stray pets wandering about. "Was it this bad ten years ago?"

"Don't think so," Kas murmured. He took my hand, and squeezed it. "I have a sneaky suspicion that this war has been going _way_ worse than we could've ever thought."

"...I really feel sorry for the children." But I couldn't deny that I did truly feel like the 'adults' earned this sort of fate. Again, the part of me that remembered Liane's lectures scolded me, but it was drowned out by the memory of Oliver disappearing under burning rubble and the terrible screams of my family dying. "I feel like I should sing a Prayer Song."

"Let's wait on that. For now." Kas frowned. "Do you hear something?" We both stopped walking and, after a moment, I nodded. There was a noise. It sounded like someone crying. Maybe. "Let's go check that out."

"Because where there's life, there's tears." I was already walking as fast as possible without jogging, dragging Kas with me. "You're falling behind."

"Let me at least get my feet under me!"

It took a couple of tries to figure out where the noise was coming from. The town was unexpectedly big for how quiet it was. The only noise we heard was the distant crying that slowly grew closer and closer. Until, finally, we found the source. But it wasn't something Kas and I expected. We had expected, say, someone crying at a grave. Not...

"Please! Not my son!" It was a woman sobbing as she clung to a little boy, twelve years old at most. "Don't take him!" Or, rather, she was playing tug-of-war with some older man with graying hair and cold eyes, his clothing almost sharp with how neat it was. "Please!" However, the man was stronger, and had a better grip, so he easily pulled the boy away. I could see the boy was crying silently, eyes wide with terror. " _Noooo!_ "

"Sir, can we not at least give them time for a proper goodbye?" another man asked. He was much younger than the first, with teal hair and matching eyes. His clothes were simpler than the older man's, but there still some similarities. Almost like a uniform. "To simply take him is-OOF!" The older man, however, just through the boy at him. "General Mikail!"

"We've enough trouble without your bleeding heart, Urien," the older man replied cooly. He turned sharply on his heel, completely ignoring the mother's wailing, and strode off. "Follow."

"...Sir…" The younger man gently wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders and began to lead him away, over to where two horses were waiting.

"Mother!" However, the boy began struggling, trying to escape the two men and run back to his mother. "Mother!" he screamed, sobbing. His mother stumbled after them, reaching out towards him. "Mother!" However, the younger man picked up the boy so that he couldn't escape. All he could do was flail about in vain and try desperately to at least grab his mother's hand. " _Mother!_ "

All pointless, though. The younger man put the boy on his horse before mounting up, and both of the men rode off, with the boy's screams and sobs echoing on and on. They were almost as loud as the mother's own screams and sobs, and she collapsed to the ground, curling up in a ball. And no one came to help her. No one stepped outside. Just a woman wailing in the middle of the street because her son was taken away, and no one stepped out to help. So, Kas and I did. Because someone needed to.

"Let's get you inside, ma'am," Kasimir said softly, kneeling next to her. He picked her up easily and I looked around for any convenient clue as to which house was hers. There was an open door in a house not far away, so I pointed to it. "Here we go."

We got her inside and seated at the kitchen table. While Kas hunted through the place for some cups, I brushed the dirt off of her dress and hair, before pulling a handkerchief from my pocket to carefully clean her face. She remained perfectly still, crying silently, and didn't so much as twitch until Kas set a glass of water on the table in front of her and passed me his own handkerchief so that I could keep on cleaning her face. Even then, she just looked blankly at the two of us, probably wondering who the hell we were.

"...Thank you…" she eventually whispered. Her hands shook as she took the glass, but I supported her hands so that she could take a sip. Some water spilled down her chin anyway, but I wiped that up. "Truly, I…"

"How's your head?" I asked, smiling at her. I was worried about looking her in the eyes, since the shadows of my hood only hid so much, but she was rather out of it. "Aching yet?"

"Not yet." This time, she could drink without shaking hands and without spilling. She ended up draining the glass. "Thank you, though."

"Of course."

"I'm rather surprised no one helped you," Kas commented, taking the glass from her. He went to fill it up again and set it back on the table. "After all…"

"Why would they? Their own children were taken," she told us, her fingers twisting into her skirt. Kas and I exchanged alarmed looks over her head. "When the soldiers came by before, I lied about my son's age. I told them he was ten, not twelve. Someone must've revealed my lie." She laughed bitterly, a hollow sound that made my heart ache. "I'm sure they enjoyed my breakdown, whoever they were. I hope they did, at least. Someone should get something out of this."

"Is this conscription a recent thing?"

"For the twelve year olds? Just a few months. The age has been slowly lowering over the years, though. As more and more die, and more and more soldiers need replacing. They call it a 'war', but really, it's a slaughter. And we're the cattle slowly being led to our deaths." She laughed mirthlessly, a horribly hollow sound. "The Demon King just makes more. Kill one, and a dozen more show up the next day. Some of them your own dead. It's a miracle we've lasted as long as we have. But we're all going to die." Her voice caught in her throat. "I just wanted to spend my last days with my son…"

Silence fell, since Kas and I had no way of replying to that. Thankfully, before the silence could become awkward, there was a distraction. A knock on the door. Of course, any relief I felt disappeared when I saw the knocker was the young man from before, the one who led the boy away.

"What do you want?" I snapped, standing protectively in front of the woman. Kas slowly, subtly, began flanking the man, ready to attack if need be. "I doubt she has another child you can rip from her arms."

"That isn't… I…" the man began. After a moment, he bowed his head. "I snuck back, miss, ma'am. I… I can't return your son, but I can at least bring him his things. If there is anything..."

"There are… probably a few things…" the woman whispered shakily. I rested a hand on her shoulder. "Who are you?"

"Lieutenant-General Urien, miss." The man lifted his head. "I'm part of-"

"The cavalry. My husband served under you. Said you were a good man, and could be trusted." The woman tried to take her glass, but her hands shook far too much, so she folded them in her lap instead. "My son. Is he…?"

"Ideally, he'll just… be a messenger. To free up someone older for the actual fighting." He looked down, though, unable to keep eye-contact. "We've had our camps attacked enough times for me to not… well…"

"I think 'ideals' disappeared when you started conscripting children."

"Well, I've always been on the stupid side." He smiled slightly. "Regardless, he won't be fielded or anything. On that, you have my word."

"...Very well. There are at least few things I know he will want." The woman looked at Kas and me. "I…"

"Will you be okay?" Kas asked. I tried to not snicker when Urien jumped. He hadn't noticed at all. "We can stay a bit longer, if you'd prefer."

"No, I think… I think I will be fine," the woman whispered. She looked down at her lap. "I'll probably stay at a friend's house, but I can handle all of that."

"In that case, we'll be leaving." Kas bowed and smiled at the woman. "I wish you well."

"And I shall pray for you two." Her own smile was sad, but there was a genuine kindness to it that made my heart ache. It reminded me of Rachel's. "It's nice to see people willing to help strangers still."

I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and followed Kas out the door. We both lingered a bit, to make sure things would be okay, before making our slow way back to our horses. There were still no people out and about. Still no children playing. I was half-tempted to see about finding the graveyard, but chose against it. My heart felt heavy enough as it was.

"So, we got information…" I began, untying Styx from the branch. I glanced at Kas, and he smiled, already knowing what I was going to suggest. "We can get more if we trail that Urien fellow."

"Wise people do think alike," he joked. He lofted Kratos into the air and I had Nike follow suit before mounting up. "Follow the man with teal hair on a horse, you two. We want to see the camp, and this army of theirs."

It seemed things were far worse, and more complicated, than I had thought. The poor children...

* * *

It wasn't hard to track Urien. He made no effort to hide, and whenever we lost the trail, Kratos and Nike were ready to lead us. A good thing, since once we entered the forest, it was infinitely harder to navigate. But eventually, we did find an open spot that overlooked the camp. And it was… well…

"How the hell do they live in such a maze of a place?" Kas asked, bringing his hand up to try and trace out the paths. I didn't even bother, because I couldn't make sense of any of it. And I was a little too distracted by how stained and collapsed so many of the tents looked. "I am sure it has some method to the madness, hopefully, but uh…"

"Could be a sign of how disorganized they are?" I suggested hesitantly. It could also be them trying to hide important targets. I certainly couldn't tell what tents were what, and I had some moderate amount of intelligence. "Is it just me or…?" I paused as I saw a tiny soldier trip over the hem of their pants. "The uniforms are…"

"They're not exactly inspiring a lot of hope. At least, to me?" The wind blew and we both gagged at the nauseating smell. It was so bad that we both actually dismounted just in case we threw up. "Blech. Smell worse than you after a fight."

"Funny, I was thinking they smell worse than _you_." How could they live like that? Was it _that_ much of a luxury or something? "Hmm?" I got on my tiptoes when something caught my eye, something a little less miserable than badly fitting uniforms. "What are those white things on the outskirts there?"

"The… winged horse things?" He pointed to the group, and I nodded. "I think those are pegasi, actually."

"Oh…" I only vaguely knew of them, mostly from stories. Rachel had wanted to see one, though. She'd happily talk about being a 'pegasus knight'. "Are the reptilian things near them…?"

"Must be wyverns." He closed his eyes to hide the sudden tears, and I looked down, gripping my reins tightly. Oliver had _loved_ stories about wyverns. He'd beg for them all the time. "And the horses are… on the other side."

"And all the humans are squished up in between." Again, I gagged when the wind wafted the smell upl. Maybe it was because I was so used to the incense and perfumes of home, but I swore it smelled like the insides of a demon. After you made a mess of the organs. "I knew we were blessed, but…"

"Feel like I should be singing a Prayer Song for them. And that's not a good feeling." Kas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I pulled mine out of its bun so that I could fuss with the ends and the like. "Wonder what their food is like."

"I'm not sure I want to think about it." If it was like the rest of the camp, it would just be sad. Very sad. "Where are Nike and Kratos?"

"Not sure. Probably hunting." A little trill made him smile, though. "Or Kratos could be right here." He brought his hand up and Kratos landed on his wrist. "Hey, where's your sister, buddy?" Kratos chirped and flew to a low-hanging branch. When he saw us looking, he flew to another one, farther down. "Ah, leading us. Got it."

Knowing Kratos only acted like this when there was something 'interesting', we followed him closely yet quietly. When we made it to where Nike was perched, we got on our hands and knees to crawl through the bushes, wondering just what they wanted us to see. And, it turned out, it was more of a 'hear'. There was, conveniently, a group of people talking not far away, two women and two men. And one of them was that cold-hearted 'General' from before.

"So, Valni, you are certain?" he asked a young woman with grey-green hair tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes were a very pretty blue, made more obvious by the matching breastplate she wore. "You have seen monsters enter the desert, and not leave?"

"Yep," she replied, shrugging. She crossed her arms, and winced when the other woman elbowed her in the side. "I mean; yes, sir, General Mikael. Sir."

"The 'yes, sir' is sufficient, Valni." Mikael frowned, resting his hand on his chin as he thought. I wondered why they didn't consider how vast the desert was. I highly doubted this Valni had flown over the entire thing. "So, there is the possibility of people there, after all. I had long heard tales of people escaping ruin by fleeing into the sands, but I wouldn't have thought it inhabitable by any means."

"Or the desert ate them," the other man replied. His hair and eyes were the same color, pale lavender, and he wore very casual clothing, especially compared to the rest. "The demons, I mean. It's the freaking desert, after all." He looked rather done with everything, actually. It was rather fascinating. I wondered how many times they'd had this argument. "Still not sure about traveling the desert."

"The other healers think it's a fool's errand!" the last girl exclaimed. It was hard to see her hair, due to the hooded robe she wore, but I thought I caught glimpses of bright green hair. Her eyes were a darker green, from what I could tell, but I didn't know if that was due to the shadows of her hood or not. "Traveling through the desert with no destination… such a thing is not something that can be afforded!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'd just lose people." They would. The desert didn't suffer the unprepared. "So-"

"We're conscripting _children,_ in case everyone has forgotten!" Valni said tartly. She practically trembled from barely-contained fury. "We've already lost so much! If there's a chance on making things better…!"

"We can't take _foolish_ gambles, Valni," Mikael cut in calmly. His tone was a little more tired than Ishmael's, but I recognized the same force of authority in it. The other three did as well, given how they instantly fell silent. "We have neither the people nor resources for such things. If we can find more information..."

"Well, I could _get_ more information if someone would let me fly further in." Valni grumbled and glared at the ground. "After all-"

"You nearly had a heatstroke. We've already lost over half of our pegasus knights. I'd rather not deal with one that can easily be prevented." Mikael shook his head, and I grimaced. On the one hand, that was a good leader thing. I could respect that. On the other hand, he literally _pulled a crying child from his wailing mother_. I couldn't respect that. "Ah, this is nonsense."

"It is not!"

"This argument is." Mikael began walking off. "Latona, what were the casualty reports again?"

"Sir, we're not done!"

"Grado, supply numbers?"

"Sir!"

The group slowly left, Valni trying to resume the argument, while the other three talked about other things. Kas and I waited for them to be out of earshot before crawling out from the bushes, sitting at the base of a tree. Above us, Nike roosted, but Kratos flew down to Kas's knee and fluffed out his feathers. We sat in silence for a long while, thinking about what we overheard. The argument and everything else...

"So, that's a thing," I murmured. I couldn't really say anything else. "Huh."

"They will die within a day, especially that Valni girl," Kas observed. He absently petted Kratos, frowning. "Maybe less than a day, depending."

"Especially if they get caught in a storm." I sighed and leaned back against the bark. Nike landed on my hand and hopped up to my shoulder to nuzzle my cheek. "What do you think we should do, Kas?"

"About?"

"Should we get involved?" The camp was a mess. The towns were ruined. They were dragging children into battle. They were desperate enough to march into the desert. It was all just madness, and I wasn't sure I wanted to bring 'madness' anywhere near our home. "This is all…"

"...We just came here for information. Ishmael will decide." That was true. Ishmael would make the best decision. He always did. "It's late. The sun is starting to set."

"We should head back to the town, then, and find a place to camp." I carefully stood up to not dislodge Nike, and held out my arm to Kratos. He hopped to my hand so that Kas could stand up as well. "Let's go."

* * *

Kas and I debated between camping-camping and using an abandoned house, but decided that for simplicity's sake, we'd just camp-camp. So, we set up in the woods, complaining about how the nights were far too warm. It made us feel a little better, after everything we had seen, and thus, allow us to actually sleep. At least, until Nike and Kratos shrieked in the middle of the night to warn us that something was very wrong. The screaming on the wind said whatever was happening, it was in the town. Kas immediately ran towards the trouble, like always, and I stayed back to make sure nothing would catch fire while we were gone. I knew I didn't have to worry about the animals; they knew what to do during a demon fight by this point. So, once I'd made sure everything was safe, I picked up my lance and chased after my older brother.

The city itself was in chaos already, with the horse-men demons and skeletons running rampant after more people than I expected, given how empty and lifeless the town had looked earlier. Kas, of course, was already in the thick of it, focused on fighting the horse-men demons because they were big, they were strong, and they wielded axes. Kas was quick, skilled, and wielded swords. Perfect counter. I called out and winked to let him know I had made it and then I focused on the skeletons, specifically the archer and lance wielding ones. The archers were annoying in how quickly they could pick off people, and Kas wasn't great at dealing with lances. That and no skeleton ever wielded axes, which I did poorly against. That all said...

"Ha… these things _are_ more of a challenge outside the desert," I muttered, kicking a skeleton into the wall before cracking the skull of another with the pommel of my hilt. It made sense, and we always acknowledged that. But it was one thing to 'know' something, and another to _know_ it. "But, weirdly, I think I'm faster too?" I was probably just being weird, but I did feel… I didn't know. It was interesting fighting on terrain that didn't constantly shift under your feet, though. "Well, whatever. Time to play kickball with a skull again."

I decapitated a skeleton and made sure to kick the skull at the head of the horse-man demon Kas was currently fighting. The impact knocked its head back enough to give Kas a perfect opening for a decapitation. It was a bit different than battles in the desert, but the basics were the same. We did our best to work together.

"Ack!" I barely dodged an arrow and looked around for the source. After a moment, I looked up and groaned. Skeletons on the roofs. I felt like that should be the name of a song or something. Shame I wasn't as good at _writing_ songs as I was at singing them. Neither here nor there. Songs didn't kill demons.

So, I started running, looking for a good place to climb up. However, I got distracted by a whimper and peeked into an alleyway to see, of all things, a small child hiding instead of being relatively safe in a building. And, to make matters even better? There was a horse-man demon charging straight for me. When I couldn't dodge because, otherwise, it would go straight for the terrified child. This was going to suuuuuuck…

Or, it would've, if not for the cavalier charging forward and intercepting the demon. Their horse reared back to attack first before the rider chopped off its arm. I took advantage of the opening to jump onto the demon's back, but only so that I could use it as a platform to climb onto the roof so that I could get those damn skeletons. When I was on, I glanced down to see who saved me, and was surprised to see it was that Urien fellow.

"Hey, thanks!" I called down. He just stared up at me, the horse-man demon dead. "There's a kid hiding there, if you can get them!"

"Ah, yes!" Urien replied. He dismounted and headed over to the child. "Are you-?"

"Sorry, got bones to murder! Talk later!" Or not at all. I realized then that my hood had come down during all the fighting, meaning my red hair and red eyes was very visible. Just my luck, but I couldn't think about that now. After all, there was proof that not all civilians were dead or safely in their houses. Meaning that if I didn't kill the skeletons quick, they could kill them. I didn't want that.

So, I fought, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to either kill the skeletons outright or just push them off and let gravity handle the rest of it. It wasn't too hard. Skeletons were fragile, and the houses were built very close together. And from up here, I could see that the army had mobilized to deal with most of the demons, moving rather efficiently given how much of a mess their camp was. By the time I killed the last skeleton, they had things well under control, so I climbed down and kept to the shadows to try and hide. I gave up, however, when I saw Kas was surrounded, and that his own hood was down. Kas glanced at me and shrugged. There really wasn't anything else we could've done. Raphaela was going to kill us.

"This is… unexpected." The soldiers parted for Mikael to walk up, wielding a giant freaking axe like it weighed nothing. I thought it might even be the same size as the axes those horse-man demons wielded. "You two are clearly skilled at fighting," he noted, eyes narrowed as he studied us. He stood so straight that I wondered if someone had shoved an iron rod up his ass. "It's considered treason to be so skilled and not assist the army, you know."

"Preeeetty sure it's against all laws of legality and morality to kill innocent people as well, but that didn't stop people in the past," I deadpanned. Probably not the best of responses, but treason? As if. "Why should human rules have any sort of hold on the children of demons or whatever else you people spew at us?"

"That is not-"

"Look, we're from the desert," Kas revealed with false brightness. His smile was as warm as the desert sun, and equally biting. "We've been gathering information. Not a lot of gossip makes its way, especially since most newbies we get are traumatized and near-death. But we _did_ hear that you lot have apparently gotten so desperate that you want to cross the desert and hunt for us." Leave it to Kas to suddenly flip the game around. I just sighed and bit my tongue to keep quiet. "So, want to talk?"

The answer ended up being 'yes'. We were escorted to an abandoned house and set up inside. Mikael didn't join us. Instead, he left Urien, that Grado fellow, and Valni, or so I thought the name was. Though Grado gestured for Kas and I to sit at the table with the three of them, I remained standing, leaning against the back wall with my lance at my side. Kas did sit down, and he made a point of sitting in the most irreverent way possible, feet on the table and half-leaned back in the chair. Ishmael would scold him for being so rude, but I rather liked it.

"I suppose introductions are in order," Kas began after a moment, since the other three weren't saying anything. He looked up at the ceiling, like he couldn't be bothered to look at them. "My name is Kasimir. This is my little sister, Evelyn. Pleasure."

"Yes, a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well," Grado murmured. He bowed his head slightly, politely, and glanced over at Urien, on his right. Valni was on his left. "My name is-"

"Grado. The girl is Valni, and we met Urien earlier." Kas smirked at the startled looks. "I mentioned this earlier. We've been gathering information."

"Clearly far more than expected was collected." Grado narrowed his eyes. "Are things so rough in the desert that you must be excellent spies?"

"Oh, no, we're _fine_ in the desert." Kas's tone was light, somewhere between friendly and mocking. "Got food, got water, got shelter. The Demon King likes making his demons stupid, meaning the desert gobbles them up like a child with sweets. Or did. New monster showed some resilience to the sands. Made us a bit worried, so here we are."

"So you all just lounge around and let us spill blood while you live in peace?!" Valni snapped, slamming her hands on the table and standing. Urien got up and went behind her chair to rest his hands on her shoulders and push her back down. "That's despicable!"

"You really do know nothing about the desert if you think 'lounging around' describes life there," Kas replied. He kept perfectly calm, but his smile became razor sharp. "You definitely wouldn't last a day among the sands. Wouldn't even give you half of a day, actually."

"You…!"

"That said, we actually didn't know how bad it was out here. We don't have a lot of contact anymore after some lord or whatever nearly killed the last messengers Ishmael sent, rather pointedly refusing the offers of help." Kas shrugged, perfectly nonchalant. I hid a smile behind my hand. He only got like this when he wanted to annoy someone and it was clearly working perfectly. "We do get refugees, but they rarely want to talk about the outside world. It hurts them dearly, and no few believe that you all deserve whatever is going on."

"And what about you?" Grado asked, leaning forward slightly. He actually made a point to look Kas right in the eyes, which was impressive. It took even the new refugees a while to do that, if they didn't have a sibling with the red hair, red eyes coloring. "Do you think we deserve it?"

"Look, I'll be blunt. I don't give a single _damn_ about any of you. I feel sorry for the kids, and that's the extent. People certain in their righteousness slaughtered my family, so it's just plain safer to assume the same of anyone else." Kas glared, all pretense of friendliness and impassivity gone. "I'm only out here because I worry that the Demon King is going to push more into the desert, and my new family won't be safe anymore. Evelyn is only out here to make sure I don't get caught and burned like most others with red hair and red eyes end up. And don't pretend that's a thing of the past. Got a couple of new refugees who suffered." He shrugged and went back to being impassive. "You all want to save the world? Fine, more power to you. I _hate_ the world. But I love my family more than I hate everything else. And I'm willing to do anything to keep my family safe."

"I see." Grado fell silent, studying us. "Does that 'anything' include fighting alongside us?"

"Not my decision to make. We're the scouts, not the leaders." Kas smiled with all the warmth of something doing their best to not hit someone in the head. "We will convey your request, though. That's all you're getting out of us, for now."

"Gods, you're all spoilt brats!" Valni snapped, livid. Urien squeezed her shoulders in a silent 'calm down'. "Urien, you-!"

"Valni, would you make a decision for the entire army, on your own, without consulting anyone else?" Urien asked softly. Valni glowered and growled something under her breath. "That's all it is. They _cannot_ make that decision for their group. But they will tell them, and open up the possibility."

"If we die, they're going to die too! Yet-!"

"That's why they're here. That's why they sought more information. They noticed something was wrong, and investigated."

"That's-!"

"Valni, if you can't shut up, leave," Grado ordered. His pleasant expression disappeared for no-nonsense, matching the curt tone perfectly. "I am not having you alienate potential allies because you can't bite your damn tongue."

"Oh, is she trying to insult us or something?" I asked innocently, unable to help needling them a bit more. I even widened my eyes to add to the effect. "Considering what we've heard in the past, it didn't register at all."

"Can't say you and your brother purposely being belligerent is helping, mind."

"You're the ones insisting on having this pointless talk, after we saved the people of the town for you and got accused of treason." I dropped the innocent expression for a droll one. "And then when we told you what we were going to do, and why, one of yours calls us 'brats'. As if we're not allowed to be wary after everything our people have suffered." I glared, struggling to not cry as I remembered my family. "Our entire family is made up of the hated and the unwanted, the forgotten and the abandoned. And we never even crossed your minds until you were desperate, despite offers of help in the past."

"That…" Grado struggled for a way to continue before sighing and apparently giving up. "We should probably leave it at that, then."

"Probably a good idea," Kas agreed. I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything more. Needling them more wasn't good for anything but my ego. "We will return, eventually, with a reply."

"When will that be?" Grado asked quietly. His eyes darted between Kas and me before settling on Kas again. "Just so that we…"

"Can't give you a timeline, I'm afraid. One, I don't know how long it'll take to come to a decision. Two, this time of year is notorious for storms, and if we're caught in one, we're not moving until it clears up. Safety reasons." Kas finally sat properly in the chair. "We will get back to you as soon as we can, though. I can promise that much."

"I see." Grado nodded. "Thank you."

They left without another word, Urien purposely making sure Valni was the first one out. After Grado shut the door behind him, I finally sat down at the table and groaned, resting my head against it. "I am reminded why I hate people," I grumbled. Valni's comments irritated the hell out of me. "Ugh…"

"They're obviously fraying from everything," Kas murmured. Now that he wasn't dealing with them, he let himself relax, leaning back against the chair. "And, well, Grado was right. We were kind of purposely pushing buttons."

"Yeah, I know." We just couldn't trust them. Our own scars ached. "I know it's technically super late, but I'm wide awake."

"Same." Kas stood up and rubbed my back. "Shall we go ahead and get moving? It's a long journey back."

"Sounds good to me." I sighed and stood up as well. "Should make sure nothing happened to the animals, at least."

Well, this was going to be fun to explain to everyone. Damn it all.

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _Younger sister to Kasimir, who calls her 'Eve', a childhood nickname she refuses to let anyone else use. One of the desert people's most skilled warriors and riders. No small part of that is due to extensive training, born from longing to repay everyone for the love and care given to her over the years and a need to never be completely helpless again while her family dies around her_

 _Owns a red-tailed hawk dubbed 'Nike', who is the daughter of Ishmael's own pet hawk, and a black mare named 'Styx'. While she loves them dearly, she does often wince because she remembers how her elder sister, Rachel, had wanted pets. And she knows her little brother, Oliver, would've loved them._

 _Kasimir_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword_

 _Brother to Evelyn, who calls him 'Kas', a childhood nickname he doesn't let anyone else use. One of the desert people's most skilled warriors and riders. Like Evelyn, a great deal of that skill comes from extensive training. Many believe he will succeed Ishmael as leader, due to his normally calm temper and because Raphaela has vocally stated how much she dislikes leading_

 _Owns a red-tailed hawk dubbed 'Kratos', the son of Ishmael's pet hawk, and a gray stallion named 'Pallas'. All of the names are from old stories that his eldest sister, Liane, would tell them as children. It's a way of holding onto their memory still, especially since he's terrified of forgetting them. Even when he's written down everything he can think of._

 _Ishmael_

 _55 years old_

 _Weapons: Dark Magic_

 _The kindly leader of the desert folk, who does his best by his people. He took in Evelyn and Kasimir and raised them as his own, doing his level best to help them heal from their traumas. He's extraordinarily proud of them, but worries they work too hard to 'repay' everyone. Which he finds silly, because what parent expects their child to 'repay' them?_

 _Has long worried about the war on the outside, but was uncertain whether they should intervene. After all, they tried to offer their assistance in the past, and were rebuffed many times, to the point of violence. After a certain point, you just have to wonder if you leave people to their fates, even if it breaks your heart._

 _Raphaela_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapons: Dark Magic_

 _Daughter of Ishmael, known for her fierceness and insistence on doing whatever the hell she wants. She's close to Evelyn and Kasimir since they grew up together, and harbors feelings for Kasimir that don't seem to fade, no matter what she tries._

 _Enjoys her freedom and, thus, really doesn't want to inherit leadership from her father. She sees the amount of work needed, and all the health issues the stress causes, and knows that she'll likely take too many shortcuts and skimp on her duties. The people deserve better than her._

 _ **Army**_

 _Mikael, General_

 _54 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Axe_

 _Current leader of the human army, made up of what remnants could be salvaged after the war between humans and the now fallen countries. His blunt honesty and his strict fairness leads him to come off as harsher than he is, but his soldiers respect him for treating everyone as equal, and holding himself to the same (if not stricter) standards_

 _Does what he must in order to try and fight this war, as he feels that is his duty as the leader. Much as he would like to coddle his soldiers, doing so will only cost them their lives._

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _A young man who has been technically serving in the army since he was a child, due to his father being the former leader of the army. Known for his kindness, he's considered Mikael's right hand and often travels with him_

 _Though he knows that a leader needs to harden their heart and make tough decisions, he finds it very difficult to not show compassion and the like. It leads to him trying to argue with Mikael about some of the harsher choices, and even stupider things like going back for wounded._

 _Valni, Lieutenant-General_

 _18 years old_

 _Weapons: Lance_

 _A skilled pegasus knight who recently lost her fiance in battle, making her much more emotional than typical. Not that she exactly held back her feelings prior to that, mind. Desperate for more allies because she's terrified of losing more loved ones_

 _She's especially young for a Lieutenant-General, and knows it, but the army has a policy that the pegasus knights have a Lieutenant-General, and she is, unfortunately, the oldest of the current lot. The pressure doesn't exactly help her mental and emotional state._

 _Grado, Lieutenant-General_

 _22 years old_

 _Weapons: Axe_

 _A former noble from the south, who ran away with his childhood friend, Tobias, to join the army despite his family's protests. Ironically, this actually ended up saving his life, as demons overran his home not long afterwards, killing everyone but his little brother._

 _Because he actually has some modicum of tact, he is often sent to talk with potential allies, small pockets of fighters that they hope to bring into the army proper so that they can coordinate and stand a 'greater chance'. It's not a job he likes, preferring to simply fight, but he swallows his protests because more fighters mean less children who are fielded._

 _Latona, Healer_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Staff_

 _A kind and gentle woman who is often regarded as a 'bad-luck charm', due to being the sole survivor of no less than four separate squads, as well as being the lone survivor of her home village. She does her best to keep on smiling despite it all_

 _A talented and skilled healer, though her youth and lack of experience keeps her from being 'in charge' of any infirmaries. She doesn't mind, however, as it gives her more time to make medicine and help out her friends. Which she is almost desperate to do, since they stay with her despite the rumors._

* * *

Author's notes: Welcome to _Records of the Indomitable_ , a backstory story to _Records of the Valiant_ , focusing on the 5 heroes in FE8's backstory. This story will be updated infrequently at first (other stuff going on), but given where _Records of the Valiant_ is, I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and get started. So meet… everyone, actually. All 5 of the eventual Heroes make at least a brief appearance in this chapter.

I didn't mention the breed in the story, but the horses Kasimir and Evelyn ride are based on the Arabian Horse (bred for desert climates, war and raiding, and for kindly and gentle dispositions). Red-tailed hawks are very adaptable across a wide range of biomes, including deserts, and Evelyn and Kasimir both have pet ones because in _Records of the Valiant_ , the royal family of Jehanna actually breeds them (mentioned in… one of the chapters) and because the breed is often used for falconry. The names of all four of the hawks are the names of the four winged enforcers in Greek Mythology: Nike (Victory), Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal). They're the children of Styx and Pallas (hence the horses' names). Standard note: while I'll do my best to be as accurate as I can with behaviors, I will take creative liberties for ease. If you actually want to have a pet hawk, do your own (extensive) research first! (And check the laws.)

While they're called 'monsters' in Fe8, I figured 'demons' worked well for what they were called, especially since they're fighting the 'Demon King'. Fun fact, bonewalkers and wights have never wielded axes (thus far) in the Fire Emblem games. Technically speaking, 'kickball' was invented in like… 1917, but I figured the word is simple enough for the term to come up.

Next Chapter - Child of Dragons


	2. Chapter 2) Child of Dragons

Chapter 2) Child of Dragons

* * *

 _I would never say things are peaceful in the desert, but things were never too bad. However, new demons appearing led Kas and I leaving the desert for the first time in ten years to actually determine how things are going with the war and gather information. The answer? No words, but 'desperately terrible' is close enough. Way worse than we could've ever imagined really. So bad that I can't help but wonder why none of the refugees ever said anything. Maybe they didn't know? Or maybe they didn't care and couldn't think past their own pain yet._

 _Regardless, Kas and I begin the return trip home, all too aware of the troubles now. This wasn't good at all._

* * *

It was a relief when we were finally back in the desert, though neither Kas nor I truly _relaxed_ until we were a few days within the border. Only then we were certain that the scorching days and freezing nights were sufficient protection against the craziness of the outside world. Only then did we feel that it was safe to discuss what we had learned.

"Even if Ishmael agrees, though, will we really be that much help?" Kas murmured, letting Pallas simply wander down the path on his own. The sun was beginning to set, so we were really just looking for a good place to camp, and the horses and hawks were far better at that than us. In fact, Nike and Kratos were flying about looking for that for us. "There's so much anger. So much hatred."

"It'll be very hard to bite our tongues," I agreed, tugging the reins when Styx wanted to stop and nibble on some random patch of dried grass. While I let her wander, she did have a tendency of wanting to wander on her own instead of following, and it wouldn't be wise to be alone in the desert. Especially with demons running about. "We saw that first hand."

"We did." Kas grimaced. "Ishmael would scold us if he saw that."

"He would…" The very thought made me wilt. As we had gotten older, Ishmael had taught us to be careful with our anger. We were allowed to feel, of course, but we couldn't let that anger burn our souls and hearts away. And we knew, from long years of watching him lead, that if you were protecting more than a single person, you had to focus on the big picture. Often, that meant swallowing your anger and enduring discomfort to do what you knew was _right_. "It is almost the anniversary of when he took us in, isn't it?"

"It is." Kas smiled sadly. "It is."

We hadn't known it at the time, but the year we reached the desert… that had been the same year Ishmael's wife, Kezia, had been killed by outsiders… as part of a group of messengers sent to ask if the countries beyond our borders needed assistance. The last group sent, in fact, because they had been attacked. She had been one of the three fatalities, and many more had been horribly injured. So, not two months later, when the scouts had seen two shapes stumbling about in the distance, they had turned away, uncaring of outsiders like the ones who had stolen so, so much.

But Ishmael had been _furious_ with them when he found out. 'Those are two lives!' he had shouted, or so we had been told. Then he had rushed out on his own with his hawk, Jupiter, to hunt for the 'two shapes'. That was when he found us, half-dead from sun exposure and dehydration. Even though he had just suffered a horrible loss himself, he had shoved it to the side because the 'right' thing to do was to save people, and he had raised us alongside Raphaela, because that was also the 'right' thing to do for two traumatized children. And he kept Zada open, over protests of the people, for refugees because it was the 'right' thing to do, even when he was at his lowest.

Ishmael, to me, was the ideal leader for that reason. And Kas and I had learned from him. We remembered what we could from our birth family, of course, but when it came to our morals… that was Ishmael. Because Ishmael was the one who helped us piece together our hearts and soothed us as the jagged edges slowly wore away into scars. And it was because of him that Kas and I could bite back most of our anger… and why it was such a conundrum to wonder what we had to do. After all, I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that madness. I definitely knew that I didn't care if most of them burned. But when I thought about washing my hands of _all_ of them, I remembered those tiny graves. I remembered that child dragged away from his mother. I remember the child hiding in fright in the alleyway.

I hated the world. I didn't care if it burned. But I didn't want children to suffer. And I didn't want the fires to spread and devour my new family. I couldn't lose them. I couldn't lose another family. I'd endure every sort of hell to prevent that from happening again. And it just wasn't _right_ to stay back when children were dying. It wasn't. If Ishmael had done that, Kas and I would not have survived. And while there were often days Kas and I felt guilty over surviving, I would not trade the life I was blessed with for… almost anything. And it didn't feel _right_ to not offer that same sort of chance to another child.

A red-tailed hawk's shriek was very unique, practically the sound you associate with a bird's shriek, and it easily pierces through even the thickest of mental fogs. At Nike and Kratos's _twin_ shrieks, Kas and I were riding towards the sound even before the thoughts left my head. Just deep in thought to straight-out gallop in the blink of an eye. When the sand proved too difficult to safely continue to gallop, we both dismounted and continued on, knowing that Pallas and Styx would be fine. Before long, we came across a rock outcropping, with some demons attacking something. There honestly weren't that many, and most of the ones there were actually already injured. Sadly, it didn't take long to see just why that was.

"Damn, they went out fighting…" Kas murmured, kneeling beside the two corpses sprawled out on the ground. A man and a woman, both wearing surprisingly bulky cloaks. The woman's arm was ripped off, and the blood under her lower body hinted she'd had her guts ripped out too. The man… well, half of his head was gone. And half his throat. "What a way to go."

"No kidding," I agreed softly, looking around the area. When you stepped _behind_ the rocks, you could see even more demons. I counted thirty bodies easily, but there was one that stunned me. "Oh, holy hell…" I jogged over to confirm, and I was quickly proven right. There were _two_ of those one-eyed demons dead in the sands. They had killed both of them, and had done so long enough ago that some buzzards and other carrion had gotten brave enough to eat the remains. "Must've been overwhelmed."

"Even the best fighters need help." Kas sighed and stood up, looking around. "Well, we should bury them."

"We should." It was sad and, worse, sadly not the first time something like this had happened. There were some who ran to the desert for safety, only to die. "Let's see…" Nike, however, called to me, flying over something. I frowned and headed over, wondering what she was trying to tell me. Then I saw it. There was a third cloak, ripped but not bloody, and very small. There was… "Kas, I think there was a child."

"Oh, hell." Kas whistled and Kratos landed on his shoulder. "Help Nike and Eve find the little one. I'll set about burying the two. Hopefully, it hasn't been too long." And, hopefully, the child wasn't already dead.

Nike and Kratos flew through the air, and I picked a random direction to start hunting, based on where the 'top' of the cloak was pointing. Sadly, winds had already covered up any and all traces of tracks, so I really just had to hope and pray. Probably not the wisest of things, considering what the gods obviously thought of my brother and me, but hey, they might like other people more than they hated us. Maybe.

And, surprisingly, that's exactly what happened, because sure enough, hiding in a patch of asters, was a small, shivering, sniffling little girl. I probably would've walked right on past her if Nike and Kratos hadn't flown in a circle above the patch, because she was curled up on the ground and these were among some larger asters. But when I did, I carefully approached, making sure to keep low and non-threatening and she slowly pushed herself up, curling into herself. Red eyes and indigo hair… and she looked like she was four years old. Oliver's age when he…

"Hey there," I called, holding out my hand. She flinched back from it, but kept her eyes fixed on me. "Come on. It's safe now, and you're going to get bit by insects."

"It's safe…?" she repeated, voice thick and wobbling. She sniffed and more tears fell down her face. "My mama… my papa… they…"

"I know. But the demons are gone for now." I wanted to gather her up in a hug, but I knew I needed to wait. She was already scared. Moving too fast would scare her more. "Come here."

The little girl hesitated still, but she slowly crawled towards me, her need for comfort slowly drowning her fear. But as she moved from the flowers, I saw something that stunned me: wings. The girl had wings. And they were definitely hers and not some sort of costume. I felt the muscles in her back bunch and shift with each twitch when I hugged her. They weren't bird-wings either. They kind of reminded me of those wyverns.

My first reaction was fear. My second was to demand answer. But my third one was quick on their heels and had me hold the girl tightly and pick her up, shifting my feet to adjust to the extra weight. She was incredibly light, though the wings did make it a little hard to carry her. Still, I managed it, and pulled my cloak over her to protect her from the sun. Once I was sure I had her balanced and protected, I began walking back to the rocks, Nike and Kratos flying ahead to let Kas know. And I wondered just how I was going to bring up the wings.

It turned out, however, that I didn't have to. While he'd been preparing for burials, Kas had pulled the cloaks off the dead couple, probably intending on removing the 'bulky packs' to make burying them easier. However, the cloak had been hiding _wings_ , not packs, wings the same color as the girl's. He had them leaning against the rocks, clearly waiting for me. When he saw me, he tilted his head in silent question, and I nodded, knowing that he was asking if the girl also had them.

"What's the plan?" he asked softly. He crossed his arms, looking at the dead couple. "What should we do?"

"I…" I began, not quite knowing _what_ to do. But I looked down at the little girl and knew that even if she had wings, even if she might not be human… we couldn't leave her here. By all the gods, she just watched her parents be butchered. I remembered that fear and pain all too well. And she was still a life, a _child_. "We'll take her home. To Zada."

"Better get that cloak to cover the wings, then. I wonder if they get sunburnt." Kas pulled the couple's corpses over to the rock formation, leaning them against it. "What the hell are we getting into?"

"I don't know." But when I smiled apologetically, he shook his head. He couldn't leave her either, for the same reasons as me. He'd just been asking to see if I had found anything that would override those reasons. "You want help?"

"Nah, I've already been getting a place ready. Won't take me long to get them buried." He nodded to the little girl. "If she wants to say… actually, no, never mind." He looked at the injuries, particularly the male's. Now that she was sitting up, though, I could see that I was right and the woman had, in fact, been eviscerated. "Not sure she should see that."

"I was about to ask Nike to peck you." I purposely took a couple steps away, and Nike flew down to land on my shoulder. Kratos landed on the rocks, to stay near Kas. "I'm going to go a bit ahead, okay?"

"Sounds good. I'll be there soon."

"Okay." As I walked, I looked down at the little girl, who now looked up at me with bright, curious eyes. "My older brother, Kasimir, is going to bury your parents, little one. That way, their spirits won't linger."

"That's nice of you…" she mumbled. I wondered if she even understood what 'death' and 'burial' meant. "Your name?"

"Ah, I haven't told you that yet, have I?" I gave her my warmest smile. "My name is Evelyn. What's yours?"

"Myrrh…" She sniffed, but shyly smiled back. It was warm and sweet. "It's Myrrh."

* * *

When we arrived at Zada a few days later, we made sure to head in through one of the side entrances, to avoid overwhelming Myrrh with all the people. That didn't mean we came in unnoticed, though. As soon as we were within sight of the city, Nike and Kratos flew ahead and when we entered the city limits, Jupiter swooped over our heads to let us know that we were expected.

"Wow, pretty…!" Myrrh breathed, giggling as we rode into the stables. She'd been riding with me, so I helped her off before tending to Styx, getting the saddle off and things. "Thank you very much, Styx." Myrrh cheerfully petted Styx's nose and Styx gently butted her hand in turn, a strangely affectionate gesture for her. Styx didn't normally take to strangers. "Yes, it was fun. And Evelyn kept me nice and secure, just like you said."

"Are you talking to Styx?" I asked, amused as I gave Styx a quick brush. Kas was doing the same for Pallas in a different stall, even though we knew someone would be by in a few minutes to tend to them. It just felt right. "Is it a good conversation?"

"Yes, Styx is very nice." Myrrh grinned up at me. "She loves you lots, but wishes you would give her more fruit for her treats." She laughed when Styx huffed. "But you _do_ , Styx."

"Well, I certainly don't mind, providing we have the extra?" This was more than a little bizarre. In fact, I'd call it more than a _lot_ bizarre. "Things are going to be weird these next few weeks. Or months." Or maybe even years. "Maybe I…" Styx stamped her foot, huffing again. "Huh?"

"Styx says that you're thinking of leaving her here, and she's not going to allow that." Myrrh giggled again. "She loves you lots and lots."

"Ah." I looked at Styx and, after a moment, kissed her right between her eyes. "Okay, then. We'll suffer the stupid humidity together, if it comes to it." I finished brushing her and left briefly to bring her in some feed and water before walking out with Myrrh. "Myrrh, can you talk to all animals?"

"Some are simpler than others, but yes." Myrrh smiled shyly, clinging to my hand. "She's very smart, so I get more from her. I'd get much less from a squirrel. Or a chicken. I talked to a chicken once. It wasn't fun."

"What's this about chickens?" Kas asked as he joined us. He had horse hair all over his front, showing that Pallas had been his normal affectionate self while Kas brushed him. "Oh, never mind. Want me to take lead?"

"Yes, please," I replied, pointing to Myrrh. Myrrh blinked slowly, tilting her head in confusion. I, however, knew very well the risk that came with being the first one inside. "Love you."

"Love you too. Why else would I make such a sacrifice?" Kas sighed, but strode ahead without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Good to be home, though."

"It is." I gently tugged Myrrh so that she'd stay close to me, keeping my pace slow so that she'd keep up easily. She did, after all, have the stride of a child, and I normally walked very fast. "Welcome to Zada, Myrrh. We'll go to a window later so that you can see it in its full splendor."

I led Myrrh inside, stopping every once in a while so that she could look around without tripping over her own feet. And she was looking _everywhere_ , gasping at everything from the stained glass windows to the flowers in the vases. She hid when people passed us, but squealed in delight when an animal did. Kas continued to go ahead, all the way to Ishmael's study. And promptly got tackled off his feet by Raphaela's enthusiastic hug. Because that's how Raphaela always greeted us when we were separated for more than a day.

"Welcome home!" she cheered, beaming at Kas. Kas patted her on the back and quickly escaped the hug. "Father's been practically bouncing from joy, so come in!" She seized his arm and dragged him inside. "In, in, in!"

"She loves him a lot," Myrrh noted, half-hiding behind me. Raphaela's greeting had startled her. "I can sense it. But he doesn't."

"That's not something you should talk openly about, Myrrh," I chided, even as I wondered _how_ she knew that. I did, of course, but Raphaela wasn't _so_ obvious with her feelings. And Myrrh was four. Then again, she clearly wasn't human and she could apparently talk to animals. Just another thing with her, and I either had to roll with it or completely reject her. And children didn't need to deal with rejection. "Come on. Time to meet Ishmael."

"Who's he?"

"The man who raised Kas and me, and the leader of Zada. Raphaela is his daughter." Gently, I led her inside, only to be greeted with a hug as well. However, this one was gentle, so I knew it was Ishmael. "We're home."

"I can see that," Ishmael replied, pulling away. He noticed Myrrh immediately and knelt down to be on eye-level with her. "And hello, little one. Welcome to Zada. I am Ishmael."

"Oh, I like you," Myrrh whispered, smiling shyly. She still hid behind me, though. "Your heart sings a warm and gentle song."

"Does it now? I'm gladdened to hear that." Ishmael stood again and waved us to step a little more inside so that he could shut the door. I looked around and saw Raphaela by Ishmael's desk, and Kas pointedly leaning against the wall very far away from her. "While I am eager to hear your report, I do think we should address our newest child first."

"More than you know, Ishmael," I murmured. I glanced at Kas, since he normally talked for serious things, but he smiled and shook his head. He was going to make _me_ deal with it, for once. "Ah, here…" Gently, I pulled off Myrrh's cloak. Being little, she smiled and held her arms out to make it easier and happily unfurled her wings as soon as they were free from the confines of the cloth. "See?"

"She… has wings?" Raphaela said, voicing the obvious because it was such an odd thing to see. I was tempted to tease her again, since she had a habit of pointing out the obvious, but I'd let it go for now. "You brought a baby demon home?"

"Well, Kas and I are supposedly the children of demons, so it won't be the first time baby 'demons' were around." I couldn't help the dry response, and Raphaela winced. "That said, Myrrh says she's not a demon. And, given that she has more intelligence than a rock, I'd agree."

"Well, yes, but…"

"Raphaela, staring is rude," Ishmael chided, leaning against his desk. Though I had no doubts he was just as shocked, he made sure to not show it. Kas, meanwhile, covered his mouth to hide his smirk, as if he hadn't been just as stunned as Raphaela. I caught his eye, and shook my head, but also let him get away with it. "That said… Myrrh, this question is rude, but might I ask what you are, exactly?"

"I am a dragon!" Myrrh proclaimed proudly, with a bright grin. I had never heard the term before. "Mama and Papa and I were supposed to go to Caer Pelyn, but the monsters…" Her grin dropped and she hid behind me. "They caught me, dragged me away. Mama and Papa saved me, and we ran and ran, but…" Her voice broke and she started crying. I immediately knelt down to hug her. "But…"

"We buried her parents, so that they could reach the afterlife quickly," Kas murmured, finishing the story for her. Raphaela winced and Ishmael closed his eyes. Expected, but still… "Myrrh, if you can, do you know where Caer Pelyn is?"

"Somewhere in the mountains. I don't know…" She hiccupped and hid kept on crying. Raphael pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and passed it to me so that I could clean Myrrh's face. "I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be sorry." But with such a vague location, it would be difficult to actually get her there ourselves. Plus, based on what Kas and I saw, the mountains might be firmly in 'demon' territory. "You're being very good and very brave."

"Okay…" She sniffed and coughed, but her tears soon ran dry. I held the handkerchief to her nose so that she could blow it, and then used my sleeve to mop up the worst of her tears. Then I brushed her hair behind her ear, noting that it… well, it looked like a human's ear. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, maybe a point, but… "Um… c-can I stay here?"

"Of course you may," Ishmael reassured, smiling gently. Myrrh hesitantly smiled back, relieved. "I do ask that you keep your cloak on when outside, but you'll find that most people here do. They help protect us from the sun." Ishmael glanced at me. "She is a child…"

"I'll take care of her," I agreed, knowing what the statement meant. Whenever a child made it to us, without any sort of older family member, the child would be placed in the care of someone. It's what Ishmael did for Kas and me. I couldn't deny being pleased to offer that same protection to someone else. "She can stay in my room as well. We _do_ need to get her clothes, though."

"Let me help with that," Raphaela offered. She crouched down and smiled at Myrrh. "We'll get you some pretty and comfortable clothes, okay?" Myrrh nodded shyly, half-hiding behind me again. "Father, will you need me here or…?"

"I'm sure Kasimir can report on his own," Ishmael refused, looking to Kas. Kas, of course, nodded. "Excellent, then."

Recognizing the subtle dismissal, I led Myrrh out of the room, Raphaela following closely. After Raphaela closed the door behind us, she gave me a warm hug before leading the way to one of the tailors in the city, taking paths that had less people for Myrrh's sake. However, though I was glad to take care of Myrrh, I did have to admit that I also wished I'd stayed and given a report with Kas. After all, from this day forward, everything was going to be different. But we'd find some way to make it through, I supposed. We always did.

* * *

A few days after we returned home, Ishmael asked that Kas and I come to his office. I left Myrrh with Raphaela, knowing what this was going to be about. Still, it was a bit disconcerting to walk in with Ishmael standing and looking out the window, absently twisting his wedding ring around his finger. He only did that when he had to make _very_ important decisions, and the last time I'd seen that was three years ago, when he had to banish one of our people due to him committing the worst of crimes: rape. It had been the only time in the ten years I lived here that _anyone_ had been banished, and seeing Ishmael in the same place, thinking seriously… it really emphasized how important this conversation was going to be. I knew Kas felt the same when he arrived, as Kas made sure to kiss my cheek and take my hand before clearing his throat, letting Ishmael know we were here.

"I have decided that we shall give all the assistance that we are able to," Ishmael told us softly, not looking at us. He still looked outside, through the stained glass window. It gave him a good view of the entire city, with colors of the glass as bright and vibrant as the people who lived within it. "I will announce it within a few hours."

"I can already imagine the protests," Kas murmured. He squeezed me hand and I leaned into his side. "I doubt we'd have a _riot_ , of course, but…"

"I plan on emphasizing the danger." He turned to face us then, and walked so that he was on the other side of his desk, closer to us. "The danger to their children, the danger to us. It'll be a more emotional appeal than my announcements typically are, but cold logic will not sway broken hearts and scarred spirits. Emotions do, however. Emotions make the shards pulse and the scars ache." He crossed his arms, looking right at us. "I will also ask only for volunteers. Those who feel that they cannot fight simply will stay and protect us, as they always have. Which, of course, means that there may not be many…"

"If nothing else, they will have two more." Kas glanced at me, and I nodded. It felt only right. We were the ones who saw it firsthand. If even _we_ didn't go, there was absolutely no chance anyone else would. "We can… mostly… bite our tongues."

"I will be counting on you both for that." He smiled sadly, yet proudly at us. "You two have always done your best to understand my way of leading. Of focusing on the bigger picture, even when anger makes you numb and sorrow sharpens your tongue. You're not perfect, of course, but perfection is in the realm of impossibility."

"Aren't you the one who taught us impossible things happen every day?" Kas grinned, and the air of the room lightened at the joke. "But, I know. We will… try… to behave."

"Precisely, and that is why I need you to go to them. Assuming any join you, there _will_ be fights. It is unfair to expect otherwise."

"We will do all we can. I swear it."

"So formal." He shook his head, and Kas shrugged. It… would be a while before we heard that bit of chiding, once we left. "I am in the middle still of determining what supplies can be spared and the like. However, I believe that you and Evelyn should go ahead of everyone, to reassure them that we are going to help."

"Well, we _did_ tell them we'd let them know as soon as possible," I whispered, feeling saddened by the thought. I expected and understood this decision. But I didn't like the idea of leaving. "And Kas can hold a semi-polite conversation in case they start bitching about what we can give."

"Precisely," Ishmael agreed, laughing a little. Kas and I just shared a suffering look. More politeness… Grado and Urien weren't too bad, but if one of us 'accidentally' dropkicked Valni… well… "As for Myrrh, though...

"We'll leave her here. It's much too dangerous for a child." Especially since she was basically four years old. "I assume Nike and Kratos will come with us."

"I highly doubt the gods themselves can keep those hawks from you." Ishmael laughed, mostly because it was true. Nike and Kratos attached themselves to us when they were barely fledged and they refused to let go. "I will see if any of the unattached hawks will accompany as well. They make very good messengers." Ishmael gestured for the two of us to come over to him, and as soon as we were close enough, he hugged us both. "I am very proud of you two, by the way."

"Huh?"

"I am proud of how strong you have become, and of how strong you _will_ become. I am proud of you being able and willing to do this, for the sake of our people." He tightened his hug on us, and I relaxed, comforted by the warmth. Kas smiled, but since he was taller than Ishmael now, he was bent a little awkwardly. But he didn't protest. "I know how hard it is. Even when a wound scars, it still hurts. And trauma never goes away. The memory is there forever. Moving past such trials is hard, so hard that there are many who never do. So I am very proud of you both."

"...We learned that strength from you, Ishmael." We really had. "And don't worry. We're going to send you so many letters that you'll be drowning in them."

Ishmael held us for a while longer before gently letting us go and sending us on our way. Kas and I left, but as soon as we were out of sight of the room, we shared a look and a sigh. We weren't comfortable with this at all. But we knew we had to. For the sake of our family, we _had_ to assist the people we hated. Otherwise, we were all going to die. And we couldn't bear that. Not when everyone had supported us and given us so, so much. So, we'd go. We'd fight.

And hey, maybe we'd show these people they were idiots for refusing the desert people's help before. Nothing like spite to help motivate you a little more.

So, Kas and I just briefly commiserated with each other before we split up to handle preparations, knowing we'd likely leave either later tonight or tomorrow. For instance, I did our laundry, to make sure we'd have enough clean clothes and gathered up every bit of perfume and incense we had, remembering how _awful_ that camp had smelled. Then my plan had been to go see if anyone had learned anything about that strange lance I'd picked up from the new winged demon. However, my feet had other plans. Instead they led me to the quiet room tucked away near Ishmael's room, a room always filled with fresh flowers and gentle incense. After all, it was Kezia's memorial.

Because of the suddenness of the attack, and the sheer distance, Kezia and the others who had died had to be buried far from Zada, far from the crypts below the castle-fortress. As such, a memorial instead had been built in the homes of each. Kezia's was this small room, always filled with her favorite flowers and favorite scents, along with pictures of her. It wasn't a place Kas and I visited often, since we felt we didn't really have… well, it always felt a little awkward. Still, I was already here, so I walked to the portrait set up in the back, right next to a couple of incense holders. It was just of her, smiling brightly, and it really highlighted how much Raphaela had taken after her. Since the incense were dying down, though, I decided to replace them, burning a new set for her.

"Ah…" Though that did lead to the awkwardness of being there when Ishmael was. "I was just thinking the incense had likely burned out," he murmured, smiling softly. I smiled back, a touch awkwardly, and finished up with replacing them. "She would've adored you and Kasimir."

"I wish Kas and I could've met her," I replied. I really did. All the stories about her were so much fun, and the pictures of her were so bright. "Um…" However, I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want to just _escape_ … well, I did, but that felt even more awkward and rude.

"You know, often times, I wonder if she guided you towards Zada, as a reminder to me." He joined me by the picture and incense and briefly touched the edge of the frame before smiling at me again. "That I had to keep moving forward, and that I could not let my own pain drown my morals." He ruffled my hair and gently kissed my forehead. "Please be careful, as careful as you can. You two are my sun and stars, just as Raphaela is my moon. I would be devastated if anything happened."

"As careful as we can, promise." I struggled to not cry, and knew I failed, so I just rested against my head against his shoulder. I didn't like leaving him. "I promise that we'll return. We'll be back before you know it."

"And I shall count the seconds until that day comes." He hugged me to let me cry. "You will always have a home here, and you will always be my daughter. Never doubt either."

"Of course."

* * *

As expected, Kas and I left the very next morning, this time with _far_ more supplies than before. Since we'd been busy packing and preparing, we hadn't actually been there for Ishmael's announcement, but we certainly heard the response. Almost everyone protested, until Ishmael emphasized the many graves of children that Kas and I had seen, and the danger to us. Just as Ishmael predicted, many did (reluctantly) agree that it was probably the best course. Then came the trouble of volunteers. For some, the emotional appeal was enough. For others, not so much. Still, we did have quite a few agree to fight, though I knew many of them were just eager to make the outside world _owe_ them. And others, like Raphaela, were only going because people they loved were going. I felt horrible about it, but supposedly, Ishmael already had many of Raphaela's things packed for her, since he knew her well enough to know she'd never stay behind. Which was quite true.

It was during that strange mess of preparations that Kas and I left, with Nike, Kratos, Bia, and Zelus flying with us. Bia and Zelus, after all, refused to stay behind. They instinctively knew that if they stayed, it would be a long time before they saw their siblings, or us, again. Because who knew when we'd see Zada again.

"We're making good time," Kas noted, letting Pallas simply explore along the path. I kept Styx firmly on it to lessen the chances of her galloping off. "I think we'll be at the border in a few days, providing a storm doesn't hit."

"Really surprised one hasn't," I replied, squinting up at the sky. There was barely a cloud in sight. Made it easy to see the four hawks flying about. "I hope that doesn't mean we're going to have a dry year." One could, of course, argue that _all_ years were dry in a desert, but if the Vrep went down, then things would be rough. And it would be even rougher since there would be less people to help. Not to mention Zada giving up a lot of their surplus… "Ugh… I'm going to worrying about this for months."

"Now, now… have faith in our family. Just as they do in us."

"Faith in them isn't a problem." It was 'faith' in everything else. "The send-off was nice, though. Lots of hugs and the like."

"And _really_ made us want to stay!" Kas laughed and I nodded, agreeing. It really had. I loved Zada. I loved home. I didn't like the idea of leaving it for an extended period, especially for a nauseating, complicated army camp in a place where the air was thicker than stew. "Poor Myrrh, though…"

"It surely hasn't been long enough for her to imprint or something." She had been crying when we left, and the sight had broken my heart. But Ishmael would take care of her, far better than us in an army camp. "She'll probably forget about us within a few days. You remember how…"

"Yeah… Oliver did get distracted easily." Kas fell silent for a while. "He'd be fourteen, if he lived."

"He would." Rachel would've been twenty-four. Lianne would've been twenty-six. Both probably would've been married or something by now. I knew Lianne had been interested in a couple of the boys in the village, at least. "Wonder if he would've kept the blanket."

"Probably. Might've been hidden or something, like Raphaela's stuffed bear, but…" He trailed off, eyes distant. Remembering how it had been that damn blanket that had…

"...Why…?" It was always the question. We knew why they had attacked us, of course. They had been scared, and had decided to killing others was preferable to that fear. But why had _we_ survived? Why us and not Oliver? Why us and not Rachel? Why us and not Lianne? Why…?

"Wish I knew." Kas sighed and nudged Pallas to ride a little closer to me so that he could bump his shoulder against mine. "Wish I knew."

"Wish I could punch the god who decided that."

"That too."

We rode mostly in silence from that point, only speaking absently about obvious and inane things, like the plants nearby. Memories of our family weighed heavily on us, and here we were, helping people like those who killed them. We knew it was the right thing to do. We knew it was what was _needed_. But it still felt like a spike to the heart and (perhaps illogically) a betrayal to the deceased. Worse, it felt like (also probably illogically) a betrayal to our people, who still recovered and were badly scarred. Then there was the fear. Would our people be killed for the differences that drove us to the desert in the first place? Would we simply be used as fodder, as some way to 'protect' the rest of the army? Were we just leading our people to slaughter? All of the questions and emotions dug deep into our spirits, suffocating the words right out of us.

We continued being silent even when we decided to stop at an oasis and camp for the night. Setting up our things, quietly splitting up the camp chores, foraging for food to supplement what we brought… all the normal things, really, except the silence. After all, we typically chattered and bantered, teasing each other. But tonight was a serious, somewhat sorrowful night because tonight we really felt the burden we'd taken up. You'd think it would've happened earlier in the journey, but nope. It was today, after many nights of camping.

Since things had been so silent, though, it was immediately obvious when Nike started getting agitated, fluffing out her feathers and clacking her beak. When I glanced at her curiously, she took to the air, hunting for whatever was bothering her. I immediately grabbed my lance and followed, leaving Kas behind to finish up with camp prep. After all, if it was demons, Nike, Kratos, Bia, _and_ Zelus all would be screeching alarms. Since it was only Nike, with Kratos almost dozing and Bia and Zelus more interesting in their dinner, it wasn't anything that needed two of us. Still, when I did find what had bothered Nike so… well, it wasn't what I expected in the least.

"Found you!" Myrrh laughed, beaming up at me. Her face and neck were sunburnt, and she was covered in scrapes from the sand. Not to mention that she had so much sand in her clothes that she couldn't fly. Or maybe it was the little pack weighing her down. "Yay!" She hugged me tightly, and I automatically hugged her back with one arm, despite being totally stunned. "You guys travel fast!"

"Well, we are on horses," I replied, stunned. Nike landed on my shoulder, feathers still fluffed up. "You… followed us?"

"Yep!" She grinned. "I did!"

"That is… so incredibly dangerous!" There were so many ways a child could die in the desert. Even if it was a child who could fly! "I… that…" I sighed, though, noticing that the sunburns she had were blistering. "Later. Come on. I'm sure you're hungry. What have you even been _doing_ for food and water?"

"Nothing? I can go without food for a while." She sulked. "But I _am_ hungry…"

"I bet." This was so not in the plans. "And you need a bath and medical treatment for those burns. I bet they hurt."

"They're itchy!"

"Don't scratch. I'll help." I kissed Nike's head and gently lifted my shoulder to silently tell her to return ahead of me. "Come on."

Kas was so shocked at seeing Myrrh that he nearly fell into the damn water. However, after that initial shock, he instantly went into 'caretaker mode', helping me get Myrrh all cleaned up and bandaged up. Then we made sure she got some food and water. While she ate, I looked through her pack and saw that it at least had clothes in it. That was good. Ish. Nothing about this situation was _good_.

"I am going to scold some people whenever we get around to returning to Zada," Kas growled, scowling. We were by the bedrolls and blankets, with Myrrh sitting in my lap. "How is it that there's an entire city of people, and a child sneaks out?" He held up a hand to stop Myrrh from answering. "Please don't actually tell me. I'm already mad."

"Why, though?" Myrrh asked, frowning curiously. She leaned back against me. "I wanted to be with you two. You're safe."

"We are going into a very unsafe place. Besides, you liked Ishmael."

"I like you more. And you're safe." She said the words firmly and I bit back a sigh. I'd been _very wrong_ about her 'imprinting' on us. We saved her when her parents died, so she simply couldn't believe she was safe if we weren't near. It was absolutely stupid of me to not expect that, since it was similar to what Kas and I went through when we first arrived at Zada. "Am I bad?"

"No, but you did a very dangerous thing. You're all burned and tired, right?" Kas waited for Myrrh to nod. "Plus a lot of things couldn't attacked you, and not just demons. I'm glad you can conveniently go long periods without food and water, but you still do have a limit." Kas gave her a stern look. "You are _very_ lucky that you found us."

"Oh, I already knew that." She smiled. "I knew that when we met!" Not quite what we meant. Then again, she was four. "But you're mad because I did something scary."

"That's… a close enough summary, I suppose." Kas sighed and looked up at me. "What are we…?"

"I…" I began, thinking. We couldn't really go _back_ to drop her off. For one thing, it was quite a distance at this point, and we really did need to travel while the weather remained good. For another, there was no guarantee she wouldn't try to follow us again and if she snuck out one, then she'd likely sneak out again. And sending her back on her own was an even worse idea, for obvious reasons. "Myrrh, we're going to a very unsafe place. There's going to be lots of fighting, and demons."

"That's everywhere," Myrrh replied, looking up at me. Right then, her eyes seemed very old, older than even Ishmael's. "Even these lands get fighting and demons, right?"

"That is true…" I grimaced at looked at Kas. He threw up his hands and shook his head, silently telling me that he was staying out of this. _I_ was the one who had to make this choice. Damn him. "Myrrh, it's going to be very dangerous. So, if you're going to stay with us, you have to be a _very_ good girl and listen to us, okay? That means staying where we tell you to stay, among other things."

"Okay!" Myrrh grinned and then turned to curl up against my chest. "Sleepy…"

"Yes, I suppose it is time for bed…" I looked up at Kas again and shrugged helplessly. I didn't know what to do. I really didn't. "Let's get settled in." I was going to regret this. I knew that very well. And gods, could I keep her safe? Could we? Would she end up like Oliver? I… I knew we were stronger, but were we strong enough?

Gods, why did you do stuff like this to us?

* * *

Myrrh kept true to her word in being on her best behavior. She even helped with camp prep, at least to the extent that a four year old could. She smiled brightly at everything, and I had to admit, it was fun teaching her about the various plants and the like about the desert. Not enough to outweigh the terror and regret of letting her come with us, but it was still fun.

"Well, here we are," Kas murmured as we finally rode into the town where we had last seen the army. Just like before, it was quiet, like how a wounded animal refused to move. "You doing okay, Myrrh?"

"I'm fine," Myrrh giggled, bouncing a bit in her seat. I dismounted from Styx and then helped Myrrh down, adjusting her cloak. "This is so neat! This is only the second human settlement I've been too! Zada was the first!"

"You should keep comments like that quiet, Myrrh." Kas dismounted as well and petted Pallas's neck. "People are on edge, thanks to the war."

"Oh, right!" Myrrh nodded and then mimed 'locking' her lips, like one would lock a chest. And I had to admit that it was pretty cute. Kas cracked a smile, chuckling. "So, why are we here?"

"We are going to… uh…" Kas glanced around and shrugged. "Somehow contact people."

"We could just ride to the camp, assuming it's in the same place," I pointed out. I gathered up Styx's reins and pulled Myrrh a little closer to me. "Or send the hawks, but I don't think they know we even have them."

"That's true…" Kas murmured. Of course, a quick glance around showed that all four were nowhere in sight, so who knew what they were doing? Possible hunting. "Should we check in on that woman?"

"The… oh, the mother we helped out." I shook my head. "Assuming we can even remember her house, she mentioned staying with a friend."

"True, true." Kas shrugged and checked that his hood was up. I did the same, not wanting to deal with people's glares. Stares were fine. Glares were not. "I say we walk through town then, and see if we see someone. If we do, we'll ask. If not, we'll 'conveniently' make our way to their camp. Assuming we remember the way."

"Who needs to remember the path when you can follow the smell?" I laughed when Kas shuddered, and shook my head when Myrrh looked up at me confused. "Don't worry about it, Myrrh. Here, hold my hand while we walk. It'll be good to stretch out your legs after so much sitting, won't it?"

Carefully and slowly, we walked through the town, doing our best to not be disruptive. Of course, even just 'walking' was apparently disruptive since it was so quiet. No one was out playing or anything. No one was gossiping. No one even peeked out their windows to see the weird people walking through the street. It was honestly unnerving, especially since I was so used to Zada. If the others walked through this town, I was sure they would understand just how _bad_ things were, and how bad things would become. But it was still unsettling and, thus, it was a relief when we saw all four of the hawks return and land on the saddles. For one thing, they brought noise. For another, they brought Urien with them.

"Oh, so they're yours," Urien murmured, blinking slowly at us. He had ink stains on his hands, like he'd been writing, and a sword in hand, like he expected danger. "One of them pecked me until I followed."

"That… must've been Zelus, then," I replied, smiling sheepishly. I glanced over at Zelus, on Kas's saddle, and Zelus just preened his feathers. "Sorry about that. They are trained messengers and the like, but they do their own thing. Particularly Bia and Zelus, since they like us through association. They're Nike and Kratos's siblings."

"I'm… my apologies, but I haven't slept in a couple of days, so I fear you will likely have to repeat those names and whatnot at a later date." He smiled slightly, and I did notice the bags under his eyes now. They were a bit hard to see, making me wonder if he had used makeup to cover it, but they were there. "Ah, but you brought hawks and you seem packed for a long trip…"

"We told you that we'd be back as soon as we could," Kas reminded, stepping up. He smiled warmly, giving his most charming smile. "Our people will give what help we can. Evelyn and I are the messengers, and offer our skills as fighters."

"Already, I feel safer and more confident about the battles to come," Urien said, his smile growing. Even with its brightness, though, there was a tiredness and sadness to it. "Truly, thank you…" He looked over us again, and then focused on Myrrh. "A little girl?"

"I'm sorry…" I sighed, tucking her a little behind me. "She was _supposed_ to stay back home, but she followed us. She just lost her parents to demons, you see, and…"

"Well, it won't be the first time a small child has run about that camp." Urien smiled reassuringly, and I tentatively smiled back. "She'll be under your care, of course, but I'm sure that's expected. But that's something we can talk more on the way to camp." He gestured down the path. "Please, follow me."

Urien led us out of the town and through the woods with practiced ease. As we walked, I wondered why he didn't come with his horse this time, before deciding that Zelus likely had pecked him when he tried. Of course, it was good for us because we really did want to walk to ease our legs and to give our horses a break. Even more so when we actually arrived at the camp, and tried to not gag at the smell. Myrrh immediately sneezed, wrinkling her nose, but she stayed right by me as Urien showed us where we could leave our horses. Then, after we grabbed our things and urged our hawks to fly about and enjoy themselves, he led us through the chaotic mess of the camp to a rather nondescript tent that only differed from its neighbors by the small colored post right by the entrance. Urien held open the flap for us, but didn't follow us in. But that was because, apparently, this was Mikael's tent.

The inside was as simple as the exterior. A cot tucked in the back, a couple of chests, and a desk piled high with papers. With Mikael working on said papers, though he looked up almost as soon as we walked in, and set down whatever paper he'd been reading to give us his undivided attention. "I see you have returned," he murmured, nodding slightly. Kas and I set all of our things in the corner and moved so that we were standing right in front of the desk, with Myrrh tucked behind me. "Dare I hope for good news?"

"Well, if us giving what help we can is good news, then sure?" Kas replied, with a smile. His charming smile, because we were doing our best to behave. "We'll… ah… try to make sure everyone gets along, but I'll fully admit that there's probably going to be some arguments."

"So long as they don't stab each other, I can deal." Mikael smiled back, and I was surprised he could smile. I was also surprised by how kind that smile was. "I am glad to hear that you will give us assistance. Is it just you two?"

"For now. Got more coming. Here." Kas pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it over to Mikael. "That's from Ishmael, our leader. Polite letter and everything we're pretty sure we can spare."

"...Every _thing_?" Mikael skimmed through the letter, frowning slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah?" Kas and I exchanged a confused look at his surprise. Weren't we supposed to tell him what we could give? "We do have to hold back stuff for our own, but we had a good pomegranate harvest, so some of that. There's jerky, dried fish…"

"We had quite a bit of garlic, so I think some of that is coming along as well," I added, trying to remember. Myrrh, behind me, giggled. "Pretty sure some beer barrels are coming. Gods know we always have a lot."

"Food wise is definitely just things that travel well, but it is still a variety," Kas murmured, also trying to remember. Mikael, for some reason, continued to look surprised. "Oh, we've got horses. We've a lot that don't have riders, but are antsy for some sort of exercise. So, they'll be coming along."

"The hawks. And, of course, whoever thinks they can fight alongside outsiders."

"And… wait, it's literally all right there. Why are we trying to remember?" Kas laughed sheepishly, but it soon died when he noticed Mikael was _still_ stunned. "Uh… did we do something wrong?"

"I… simply wasn't expecting so much," Mikael replied slowly. He looked at the list, scanning through each line. "I thought we would get a few more fighters. Ten or so, if we were lucky. Not..."

"Well, providing that everyone doesn't change their mind, you'll get more than ten," Kas replied. Now he was frowning. Personally, I was surprised. I was so sure they'd bitch about 'how little' we could give. "When we left, it was closer to fifty or sixty? Variety of weapons as well. Most of us are physical fighters, mind, but we've some magic users and healers. Got a bunch of medicine and herbalists coming as well."

"Medicine as well?"

"Yes…?" Kas shuffled his feet and adjusted his hood. "Is it really that much of a surprise?"

"When you were last here, you two made it quite clear how reluctant you were to return to the world that hurt you and your family so." Mikael looked Kas right in the eye, despite the coloring. "So, I thought…"

"The way of the desert is that when you choose to help, you do everything you can. We take hospitality and help seriously, due to how harsh the desert can be."

"My apologies for the unintentional insult, then." He smiled slightly, and I was actually stunned to see him so amicable. "And I thank you, dearly, for it." His eyes fell on Myrrh. "A ward of yours?"

"A traumatized little girl who followed us after we left her in the safety of our home." Kas shrugged. "Sorry?"

"Not the first time the camp has been sanctuary to children. However, she is your full responsibility." Mikael pulled a blank piece of paper and began copying down the supplies Ishmael said we could give. "Again, thank you. Urien?"

"Right here, sir." Urien poked his head in, smiling. "I got their tents ready," he informed us, also explaining why he didn't follow us in. "Follow me again."

Shrugging, we did just that, since there wasn't really a smart reason to refuse. Once again, Urien navigated the chaos with ease, hinting there was actually a pattern to the madness, and showed us to two tents set up next to each other, both of fairly decent quality. Kas picked one at random and I stepped into the other one with Myrrh, beginning to unpack.

"If you need a bigger one, do let me know," Urien insisted, standing at the threshold. He smiled broadly at me. "You do have a little one."

"Myrrh shares my blankets, so I think the size is fine," I reassured. Myrrh had actually already curled up in the blankets, taking a nap. And, thankfully, keeping her cloak over her wings. That was not something I was explaining yet. If at all. "Thank you for the consideration, though."

"We do _try_ to keep things as comfortable as we can. Morale is low enough as is." He shrugged, his smile dimming slightly. Just slightly, though. "Still, let me know if there are any problems, okay?"

"Well, I do have one question." I reached into my bag and pulled out a little vial of perfume because gods above, I needed it. "Is there a tactical reason why everything smells bad or can I have some incense and perfumes? I don't know how you all even _think_ with it."

"I didn't think it was that bad?" Urien looked a bit confused now. "Better than the last camp, at least. This one has proper sanitation, for one thing."

"...Yeah, that's going to be a series of arguments right there." Gods, this was going to suck so much. "So? Incense?"

"Oh, yes, of course." He pointed to the vial I held. "What's in that one?"

"Blue lotus." It was a favorite of mine. "I'd probably burn some frankincense or something, though. Blue lotus is used more for perfume than incense." I took off the cap and let him smell it. "We have quite a few perfumes and incense in Zada. And we'll be bringing a lot because it's just… part of our daily lives."

"Then I think I'll look forward to the lovely scents." Urien smiled again, laughing. "I… wasn't sure how to set up for your hawks, though."

"We've got things for them, and the other waves are bringing supplies for them as well." I shrugged. "Kas has more information on what is in each wave, but there's going to be two or three groups. The first one honestly will probably be here in a couple of days." Or sooner. Raphaela was leading that one, and I knew she'd leave as soon as she could. "Still, I'd better set up."

"And I should see if Kasimir needs assistance." Urien took my hand and kissed it, to my shock. "Again, thank you."

He left then, and I stared after him, more than a little stunned. I was no stranger to affection, of course, even affection from strangers. Zada was very free with such things, after all. But to be shown so much gratitude and affection from an outsider, considering how my coloring would normally mark me for burning at the stake? And to… to kiss my hand like I was some princess in a story? That was a little… that was a little beyond me and my ability to process things. So, instead, I unpacked my things, burning some incense as soon as I could to hopefully drown out the smell.

Well, here we were. And here I was, taking care of a dragon child in the middle of a war I wasn't sure I wanted to fight. Life sure was hilarious sometimes.

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _Is terrified over taking care of Myrrh, both because she is uncertain if she can protect a child and because she's afraid of using Myrrh as a 'replacement' for Oliver. However, at the same time, she can't leave Myrrh alone, so she hopes she can do as well as Ishmael_

 _Favors the Blue Lotus when it comes to preferred perfumes, though it can be difficult to make. She finds great comfort in it because Ishmael had been wearing that perfume when he saved them._

 _Kasimir_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Sword_

 _Though not always immediately obvious, he looks to Ishmael as an 'ideal' person to be and strives to be like him. However, he fears that he is nowhere near as kind-hearted or wise, but continues working towards that goal anyway_

 _Has no preference for perfumes, but he does prefer it when things smell nice. He half-wonders if he needs to carry a little sachet of fragrant herbs to protect himself from the horrible smells of the camp_

 _Raphaela_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Dark Magic_

 _Had a very long talk with her father prior to leaving, to make sure he was truly okay with it. She also prayed before the memorial to her mother, asking for guidance and strength to make it through these times._

 _Would've preferred to have gone ahead with Kasimir and Evelyn, but reluctantly stayed behind to lead the first wave instead. She's not looking forward to fighting alongside outsiders, who have brought great trauma to those she calls family, but has decided she'll endure it. If only for her father, Kasimir, and Evelyn._

 _Ishmael_

 _55 years old_

 _Weapon: Dark Magic_

 _Does his best to not show it, but he is absolutely terrified of all three of his children marching out to war. However, this is just another case of a leader being forced to look at the bigger picture. He knows very well that if this is to have any chance of working, Kasimir and Evelyn must be there, and trying to keep Raphaela in Zada would be akin to asking the sun to rise in the west. He prays that Kezia will watch over the three of them from beyond, and bring them back to him alive and well._

 _He actually caught sight of Myrrh escaping, and went after her. After a moment, however, he sent Jupiter, his hawk, to follow her instead and let her find Evelyn and Kasimir. While he heavily dislikes the idea of a small child anywhere near the battlefield, he has a feeling her presence will be needed for whatever reason. He can only pray that this will not be yet another regret on his spirit._

 _Myrrh_

 _4(?) years old_

 _A young dragon child with wings barely strong enough to bear her weight. She originally lived in the woods to the north, but they had to escape when the demons came. Clings tightly to both Evelyn and Kasimir because she's absolutely terrified, but they make her feel safe. Their hearts are warm, after all, and 'sing' with a beautiful melody._

 _Her very existence provides many questions, none of which she can really answer due to her young age. Still, she does her best to smile because she feels like the world isn't so scary when she smiles. Mostly. It is fun to learn, though, and she's determined to stay on her best behavior._

 _ **Army**_

 _Mikael, General_

 _54 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Axe_

 _Hadn't actually expected any help from the desert people, especially in light of what he heard from Grado's report of their talk. To get not only fighters, but much needed supplies including food and medicine, is honestly beyond his wildest dreams._

 _Does worry about in-fighting, but as he told Kasimir and Evelyn, so long as it's dealt with non-violently, he will suffer through it. After all, he thinks it's pointless to stop arguments as such things simply lead to more arguments ultimately. Anger is healthy, if given the space to bleed._

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _Despite what they said, he honestly didn't think Kasimir or Evelyn would return, especially not so soon. He feels bad for doubting them, but they didn't seem very enthused or receptive to the idea. That said, he's gladdened to be proven wrong_

 _He's fascinated by their hawks, having never seen one before, especially one so trained and the like. He's attempted to approach them to pet or give treats, but they fly away from him, making him a little sad. (But also happy to even have such a lighthearted worry for once)_

* * *

Author's Notes: So, have a little!Myrrh. I mentioned in _Records of the Valiant_ that she personally knew the Heroes and all, so this is how she met them. Like in _Memoirs of the Crusaders_ , I'm just listing info for important characters that show up in the chapter. For convenience sake.

'Blue lotus' (also called the blue Egyptian lotus, as well as the blue Egyptian water lily and sacred blue lily) is a component of the susinum perfume, which shows up very frequently in _Records of the Valiant._ The flower was considered incredibly significant in Ancient Egyptian Mythology, and regarded as a symbol of the sun. (Amusingly, iirc, it's illegal in three countries, possibly due to its sedating effects.) Garlic and beer were staples of diet in Ancient Egypt as well. The Mojave Aster grows in several desert terrains and can reach heights of around 60-80cm (or 24-31in).

Typically, full-blooded manaketes (and many half-blooded and even quarter-blooded) have 'pointed' ears in the Fire Emblem series, though there have been exceptions (Ninian and Nils, for instance, who can transform, as well as Sophia from the same game, who cannot). However, based on her Heroes and Cipher art, Myrrh actually has 'round' ears, like humans do.

Next Chapter - Unity


	3. Chapter 3) Unity

Chapter 3) Unity

* * *

 _Well, it's official now. We are part of the 'human army', fighting a near-impossible war against the Demon King and his demons. When writing it down, it's obvious just how crazy our situation is. But I suppose when the other option is to lay down and die, then you might as well fight. If you take a chance, you might succeed. As Ishmael says, impossible things happen every day._

 _I mean; I'm taking care of a little girl who happens to be a freaking dragon. That right there is beyond impossible. So, who knows what else there is?_

* * *

"You know; we do have the bath tents for a reason," Latona gently chided, moving her basket of herbs to her other hand. Still, she walked with me as I carried another bucket of water from the nearby river to my tent, mostly because she'd finished her herb gathering by that same river. "I believe I have seen you in them, in fact?"

"Yeah, we've got something similar in Zada," I replied, moving slowly and trying to ignore the aching in my back. Water was surprisingly heavy. "When, you know, we don't just strip down and jump in the Vrep."

"The Vrep?"

"The river that runs right by Zada. It goes straight through the desert, in fact, and provides much needed water and fertile soil." I tried to shrug, but even they ached too much. "Though it can be dangerous thanks to the hippos and the crocs." Especially hippos.

"The… the what?"

"Er… bit hard to describe?" Well, crocs might not be, but… "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Myrrh isn't actually _from_ the desert, Latona. Kas and I literally found her only days ago." Well, it was probably 'weeks' ago at this point. "And she's not comfortable with more public bathing area."

"Strange. In my experience, children didn't really care." Latona hummed a bit and I tried to not wince. Because, in my own experience, that was also the case. "But maybe her home placed an emphasis on privacy?"

"Or maybe a dislike of people being grouped together when things are dangerous?" I was talking out of my ass, though. Honestly, Myrrh didn't give a damn. However, there were no 'private sections' in the bathing tents, meaning that if she tried to take a bath there, everyone would see her wings. And since I had no idea how that would be taken, I instead hiked all the way to the river and carried back bucket after bucket of water so that Myrrh could bath in private and keep her secret. "Regardless, she's already being forced to adapt to a lot of things, including being surrounded by complete strangers."

"That's true. The poor girl…" Latona sighed, resting a hand on her cheek briefly. "I wish such tales were less common than they were."

"Yeah…" I grunted as the bucket banged against my knees. I swore if they weren't bloodied, they were bruised and swollen by this point. "I do too."

Both of us fell silent, though it wasn't an _uncomfortable_ silence. It wasn't quite comfortable either, though. It was just… it was an acknowledgement of the situation, a situation where there were no words to describe it fully. And in that silence, we entered the camp again, still heading the same way for now since the infirmary tent was set up not far from the 'sleeping' camps. Latona flinched when a small group of soldiers passed near and stepped a bit closer to me. I ignored them, until one of them spat at our feet. Then I contemplated caving in their skulls with the bucket, before deciding against it. Probably too thick to do so easily. So, instead, I continued to ignore them, intending to walk away.

"We'd have more luck if we got rid of the miasma of bad luck you ooze!" Then there was a smack, and it took a couple of blinks to realize what the sound was. One of the soldiers had actually _punched_ Latona. In the face. Hard enough to knock her to the ground, with the herbs she so carefully gathered falling into the mud. Incensed, I glared and snarled, preparing to throw the bucket right at their head! Especially when they prepared for a second punch…!

But then I didn't have to move. Because Kas appeared out of nowhere to block the blow instead. "Wow, if you people are going around punching healers, I'd say you deserve what's happening to you," he noted dryly, his eyes blazing with quiet and cold fury. The person bristled. "On with you. I've no patience for idiots."

The soldier matched him glare for glare, but Kas drew himself up to his fullest height and made sure to lock eyes with the idiot, using the eeriness of blood-colored eyes to his advantage. After a moment, the soldier scoffed and stormed off with their friends, who followed along without a single bit of hesitation. Like baby ducks trailing after their mama. Or fish shit in a river.

"Gods, I hate idiots..." Kas knelt down to gather up the herbs and hooked the basket on his arm before helping Latona to her feet. "Yikes, they got you good…" he murmured. I winced when I saw how she already had a swelling. A little higher up, and her eye would've been swollen shut. "Let's see…" He rummaged through the little pouch he always wore and pulled out some bruise balm. "And here we are…" He carefully applied a little bit to the swelling, with Latona simply staring. "I don't see any blood. Any inside your mouth?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Latona reassured, voice going a little squeaky. She looked down in embarrassment and tried to wipe off some of the worst of the mud on her robe. "Thank you. You keep bruise balm handy?"

"Of course." Kas finished applying the balm and returned the jar to his pouch. Then he handed her back her basket. She nearly dropped it. "You see who I have a little sister!"

"Oh, please, you get way more bruises than me," I instantly retorted. And tried not to squirm because I knew I'd be using that very same balm after giving Myrrh her bath. My knees throbbed. "More seriously, Latona, we're used to going out on monster hunts, so each of us carry basic medicines on us, since we don't take healers out." Healers were far too… we didn't have so many that we could risk them in the field. "That's all." I glanced around and noticed that we were at the point where Latona and I would separate. Which would leave Latona alone. "Kas…?"

"I can't." Of course, Kas knew immediately what I was asking and grimaced. Latona looked confusedly between the two of us. "Sadly, I have to meet with Urien for more 'culture exchange'."

"Another one? Really?" I did have to say one thing. Urien was very determined to learn more about our way of life. For some reason. "Damn, okay, so…" I didn't look forward to it, both because the bucket was heavy and because I was already later than I'd told Myrrh I would be, but I didn't want Latona alone...

"Ah, but I have a solution." Kas whistled, and Kratos swooped down to land on his wrist. "Here we are…" He helped Kratos onto Latona's shoulder, and Latona stiffened. "Don't worry. Kratos is gentle." Kratos fluffed out his feathers for emphasis. "And you've got that leather cuirass thing over your robes, so you'll be extra fine."

"I… have never been so close to a bird before," Latona mumbled. Hesitantly, she brought up a hand and pet Kratos's beak with a finger. Kratos tucked his head under her hand, demanding head scratches. "Oh…"

"See? Gentle," Kas reassured. He glanced at me, and I nodded, whistling as well. Nike flew near, but when I shook my head, she simply stayed within sight. A silent protector, to Kratos's more obvious. "I'd love to see someone mess with you while you've got Kratos with you."

"I… um…" She still looked so confused. "Why… why protect me so? I mean… I..." She gestured vaguely with her hand, and Kratos amusingly tried to follow it for more pets. "You saw…"

"You see our coloring, right?" Kas reached over to tug some of my hair for emphasis before moving to redo my bun for me. "We know how far people can go when they want scapegoats to pretend things aren't their fault."

"Or when they desperately need _something_ to blame besides 'life'." Despite the chiding, she smiled shyly. "Thank you, though. I do appreciate it."

"Of course."

Though I was still worried, I did know Latona would be safe with Kratos and Nike, so I left, carrying the bucket of water all the way to my tent. I kicked the flap aside, worried that Myrrh be upset at me for taking so long. However, she was sitting just where she'd been where I last saw her, wrapped up in a towel by the tub, staring intently at all of the scents I had.

"Have you not chosen one yet?" I teased, pouring the water in. Thankfully, it filled the tub to an acceptable level, meaning I wouldn't have to go back for one more. My knees, arm, and back would thank me… when they stopped throbbing. "Really?"

"They all smell good!" Myrrh protesting, turning to sulk at me. "Can't I have all of them?"

"You _could_ , but then they're overpower each other and you're just stuck with a fog of odor around you." Which I knew from experience. "You have to use them separately to appreciate them."

"But they're all so good…!" She huffed and stared at the vials a little longer before picking up one. "This one!" She handed me the Blue Lotus perfume. "I think it's my favorite. If I have to pick one."

"It's mine too." I giggled, amused by the similarity. "Okay, let's get you into the tub."

This was the second bath I'd given Myrrh in the camp, the third overall, and by this point, we actually did have a bit of a routine. She could mostly bath herself, thankfully, but it was difficult for her to wash her wings and back, so I took care of that for her. And she preferred having help with rinsing her hair, especially since she couldn't exactly duck under the water, or lean back to just get her hair in. The tub was too small for that, due to her wings. And I think she liked me playing with her hair.

"The people here are so… uncomfortable," Myrrh whispered after a while. I was in the middle of washing her wings, but I paused to look at her expression. It was surprisingly sad. "Their hearts shake and tremble, and sing discordant songs." I was honestly surprised she knew what 'discordant' meant. "It's sad, and painful, to hear."

"There's been difficulties fighting the demons, Myrrh." I went back to scrubbing her wings, half-worried I'd somehow damage them. But they seemed very durable. "I imagine that's why."

"My parents didn't have trouble, though? Well..." Her eyes filled with tears suddenly. "Um…"

"Your parents were very strong, but you can see how numbers can cause problems even for the strongest." I rinsed the soap off my hand before brushing her hair out of her face. "That's our biggest problem. Numbers. We're heavily outnumbered."

"I see." She half-turned to face me, and looked me right in the eye. Her gaze looked impossibly old for such a young face. "You won't give up, though."

"...No." I smiled at her, and pretended I wasn't unnerved. "No, I suppose we won't."

We both fell silent, though Myrrh's statements lingered around us like weights. To try and clear the air, I sung a song Ishmael had sung often for Kas and me when we were first brought to Zada. ' _Wind Beneath My Wings_.' It was a happy song, too happy for the camp truthfully. But it was the most comforting song I knew, and so, I sang. Myrrh perked up at it, so I think she liked it too. I hoped so. It was my favorite.

* * *

"I don't suppose it occured to you to not make trouble within three seconds of arriving?" Kas's voice was very dry, and I didn't blame him in the slightest. We _had_ been sleeping, but had been woken up because the first wave of our people arrived, with Raphaela as their leader, and the group had gotten into an argument with the soldiers within two words. "It's way too damned early to be arguing," Kas continued to grumble, scratching his head and glaring at everyone. I yawned and waved sleepily, not quite awake yet. "The sun isn't even up yet. What the hell are you all doing awake?"

"We were being eaten alive by bugs, so we all decided to just keep on going," Raphaela replied, her tone a bit waspish. She hadn't slept well. She was always grumpy when she didn't get proper sleep. "Besides, we're not the ones who started the arguing."

"We're not going to be three year olds and play the 'they started it' game. If we were, then none of us would be here." Kas sighed, and I just grimaced. This was exactly why Ishmael had wanted us here. "Whatever. You can explain what happened, while also telling me how the hell Myrrh got past everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"She's asleep in Eve's tent right now."

"She's what?!"

"Ah, I knew that shriek would wake me up." Kas sighed again, and reached back to unbraid his hair. Both of us braided it for sleep, but it was pretty obvious that we weren't going back to bed after this. Though we both still wore our nightclothes in vain hope anyway. "Okay, let's see who's here."

Kas walked about with Raphaela, getting a list of people and supplies brought with this first wave. I thought about trying to go back to bed, but knew that Ishmael would be disappointed if I did something so irresponsible. So, instead, I went around greeting everyone with a sleepy smile, a kiss on the cheek, and a warm hug. They returned the greetings easily, some showing me the insect bites they'd already gotten. I teased and reassured depending on the person, and just wandered through the group, feeling a little more secure now that I could see so many familiar people. I also lingered to watch as soldiers in the army, no doubt jolted awake from the noise, hesitantly came forward to introduce themselves and to help unload the various carts.

Eventually, I came across Grado, who was probably here to help play diplomat, and noticed he seemed to be having some difficulties talking to someone. So, biting back a sigh, I headed over to help, because that's why I was here, and my jaw dropped when I saw just who he was talking to. Damion and Sierra, the newest additions to our family, and two of the people I was _certain_ would remain in Zada. But now, here they were, with Sierra still wrapped up in bandages and Damion as silent as always. Once I got over my shock, I walked over to them and held out my hand. Damion immediately took it and spelled out his reply on my palm. He would pause whenever he was done with a word, and when he nodded, I knew he was done entirely.

Only then did I turn to Grado and say, "he says that they are fine, and will keep to the sleeping arrangements they have been doing, as it makes them feel safer."

"Is that so?" Grado asked. He frowned a bit in confusion before nodding. "Of course. There's… more than expected, so it'll be a bit before we can get a lot set up, but please, arrange yourselves as you need."

"Thank you." Then I did something rude. I turned away from Grado and ignored him. "I can't believe you both are here…" I hugged Damion and then I bent down to kiss Sierra's cheek. I happened to kiss a bit of scar tissue, but I didn't mind. "Seriously, I would've thought…"

"We know… how bad things are…" Sierra whispered. She tensed and hid behind Damion when a soldier accidentally came too close. "We lost friends… so we want… for their sake, we want…"

"I understand." I made sure to give her my biggest smile and she relaxed. I had been in the group that found her and Damion, so both were often more comfortable with me. "Now, I'm sure you'll get nosy people asking because there's a lot of people here who never learned manners." Grado choked on a laugh behind me. "What do you want us to say? Or do, rather. Because I'll punch manners into people if I have to."

"Silly…" Sierra glanced at Damion, the two having a silent conversation, and they both nodded. "Tell them the truth?"

"You got it. Now why don't you go get a hug from Kas? He should be right over there." I kept up the smile until both were out of sight and then turned to Grado. "Sorry. Damion is mute and Sierra is nervy with strangers."

"I see," Grado murmured, nodding. He then frowned. "But what did you mean by the truth? I mean…" He trailed off, eyes going wide before he facepalmed. "Oh, wait, shit, that's-"

"Considering it was mentioned right in front of you, I'm not sure I can blame you for the curiosity," I pointed out. Still, I sighed and crossed my arms. "You can't really see, thanks to her hood, but Sierra has the same coloring as Kas and me. Red hair and red eyes." I wondered how blunt I should be, and decided to take a leap and assume he was at least moderately intelligent. "The bandages hide burn scars."

"...Oh…" Grado looked down, catching it instantly. "My nanny was… one such victim. I had been young, so I didn't understand at all. But I can still remember her screams."

"Yeah, by chance, Sierra survived, and Damion, her brother, carried her into the desert." And I happened to find them while out on a monster hunt. Sierra's burns had been horribly infected, and Damion had been standing through stubbornness alone, half-dead from sun-poisoning. I remembered how thin both had looked; the whole reason I'd even gone towards them was because I'd sworn they were more of those walking skeleton demons. "They're both still recovering."

"I see. So, he writes out what he wants to say. We'll do our best to adjust." Grado glanced up again. "But why the desert?"

"...Why indeed?" I knew why. I knew why, because I had asked him, as a means of keeping him focused and conscious as we hiked to Zada. And I'd never forget his words, the first and last words I ever heard him actually say. 'The stories say that monsters live in the desert, but I figured the monsters of monstrous people would either be good people or the absolute worst. And I knew that no one could be worse than the people back in that village.' "Most of us have stories like that, so if there's a way to stop people from prying, it _would_ be nice."

"No worries. I am good at shaming most people." He smiled at the carts, expression surprisingly soft. "There's so much… and there's _more_ coming?"

"I imagine two or three more waves, yes. Though, I can't guess when since the weather has to cooperate." I felt annoyance creep in, mostly born from embarrassment at reading them so damn poorly. I had sincerely thought they'd bitch and moan about us giving too little. "Anyway, I'm going to go check on Myrrh. Kas is way better at playing peacekeeper than me."

"Understood." He held up his hand though. "However, what is the best way to apologize? I'm not sure why I didn't think about…" He paused and then laughed softly. "No, I do know. It's way too damn early. But still. I drew out that awkwardness."

"Uh…" I probably shouldn't be so surprised at want to apologize, but I was. "You can just say 'sorry', but I think the best thing would be to simply not make a big deal of it?"

"Of course."

It took me a while to make it back to my tent, mostly because I got freaking lost, and I seriously debated just going right on back to sleep. However, the sun was beginning to rise, and the camp was beginning to wake up, so no matter how tired I still was, the day had begun. So, instead, I got dressed and then shook Myrrh awake. She yawned and mumbled sleepy complaints about waking up, but dutifully held still while I helped her dress, since the wings made it a bit complicated. We had done what we could when getting her new stuff, but human clothes didn't take _wings_ into account, so it was a lot of 'cut holes in the back and hope things stayed'.

"This place is more of a maze than a gods-damned sandstorm!" Raphaela made her presence known before stepping into my tent. And she stared for a long moment before sighing. "I can't believe she's here," Raphaela noted, crouching down beside me. She ruffled Myrrh's hair, and Myrrh smiled sleepily at her. She was half-dozing while standing. "I mean; how the hell did she get past _Father_?"

"I have no idea," I replied, more focused on getting Myrrh's wings unpinned from under her dress. But that had been one of the questions Kas and I had. "But she's here."

"That she is. Maybe she'll bring some cheer to this stupidly gloomy place. Even funerals are more cheery." Raphaela rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder against mine. "Anyway, we'll have a Session after dinner, to celebrate our safe arrival and all."

"I'll double-check that it won't hurt anything, but I think it would be nice."

"Session?" Myrrh repeated, looking more curious than sleepy now. Her wings unfurled and shut, adjusting to the dress I'd finally managed to pull on her. "What's that?"

"You'll love it," I reassured her, smiling. It had been a while since I had heard a Session. Such familiarity would be nice. "Promise."

"K…" She yawned again and rubbed at her eyes. "Chores?"

"Yep, chores. And Raphaela is going to help us." I grinned at Raphaela scowled. "Let's go."

"K…"

* * *

Mikael had been a bit hesitant, but once I explained what a Session was, and how important they were to us, he gave his permission willingly and gladly. Honestly, it was a bit of surprise how respectful he was, considering that first impression. He was so respectful that I actually invited him without even thinking about it, and while he refused due to work, his smile told me he appreciated the attempt to reach out.

Regardless, with the permission secured, we desert people headed to the edges of the camp to have the Session. Dancing, singing, playing… it was a celebration of life and the blessings we had. The highlight, and centerpiece, of each one was, of course, the dancers in the center of the circle we all sat in. It was a high honor to participate, and an even higher honor to be asked to. Normally, I'd actually be one of the dancers and singers, but this time, I opted to instead sit and watch with Myrrh, to make sure she was okay. And, thankfully, she was more than okay. She giggled and laughed and gasped at each performance, waved her hands about in delight in time to the beat. Her eyes sparkled with wonder, and a couple of times, I had to pin her because she almost unfurled her wings just from excitement.

Though, it was hard to blame her for being excited. I remember how enthralled I had been the first time I had seen one, and the particular song was bouncy. Raphaela performed it, an upbeat dance and song with lots of skips, jumps, and sharp movements. The song itself was fast, and it was a test of breath control and endurance, as the performer had to enunciate each word clearly while never missing a single step. It was Raphaela's favorite to dance, and she was easily the best at it. Everyone looked forward to when she performed it, because she embodied the energy, giving it to we who watched.

So, when there was a sudden bit of tension among the audience, I was surprised. I was even more surprised when Damion, who sat next to me, poked my side. I _wasn't_ surprised, however, when he pointed to a spot a short distance away, where we had a couple of visitors. Urien and Valni, to be specific, who no doubt had been lured here by the sounds. Knowing that Kas or I had to deal with it, and knowing that Kas was dancing the next song, I reluctantly stood up to take care of it. After a moment of hesitation, I decided to leave Myrrh in our spot, hoping beyond hopes that this wouldn't take long enough for her to forget (again) that she couldn't show her wings. I didn't want to take her away from the fun.

"Was wondering if anyone was going to notice us," Valni said as I walked up. I tried to not twitch at the haughtiness in the tone. Or perceived haughtiness. I was inclined to be uncharitable at the moment. Still, Urien pinched the bridge of his nose, so I might not have _completely_ imagined it. "We were just talking about the songs. You all know Damascan?"

"We know the songs," I corrected, gently but firmly. If you had to ask anyone to translate it… well, the more scholarly among us might be able to, but I knew I couldn't. But I could remember the lyrics with ease. "Songs are important." To the desert people, they were how they thanked the gods for blessings and the like. I wasn't as fond of the gods, because of everything, but I did enjoy the warmth and vivaciousness of Sessions. "Still, you recognized it quickly." To the point of actually having a name for the language. I hadn't known what it was called. Never bothered asking.

"Former noblewoman, and the daughter of nobles who tried to hide and pretend everything was fine, so I got the 'normal' education until the dead knocked over the walls." Valni scoffed, rolling her eyes. Urien patted her shoulder, so I had a feeling there was a bit more to the story there. But it wasn't my business. "But I got a huge history on the Damasca Empire. Mostly because it's why the continent has a unified language. Then it fell and the language shifted about, but stayed because it made trading easier. I think."

"You think?"

"No one said that I paid full attention to said lessons." She shrugged and smiled a little, like it was a joke. I tentatively smiled back. "So, anyway, we headed this way because-"

"Evelyn, there you are!" Raphaela skipped up and hugged me, leaning heavily on my back. A quick glance back showed that the song had changed, and now Kas was in the center, movements slow and sure to match the slower song. It was a performance more focus on the person's control, where there couldn't be even the slightest bit of excess movement. "I was wondering why you weren't clapping with the rest," she complained, sulking. It would be more effective if she wasn't completely out of breath. "You abandoned me!"

"You are way too sweaty to be leaning on me like that," I grumbled, pushing her off. She wordlessly whined and clung all the tighter. "Raphaela!"

"Mean! You know I love your praise the most!"

"I actually know that's a big fat lie." I succeeded on getting her off and pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket for her to wipe her face off. That's what she was really after. "But it would be mean if I corrected it."

"Moh…!" She huffed, even as she accepted the handkerchief. Urien and Valni both watched us like they weren't sure we were all there in the head. Given that noise, I didn't blame them one bit. "Whatever. What are you two doing here?"

"We heard the sound and followed," Valni answered bluntly. She crossed her arms and raised her head a little bit. I worried she heard a 'challenge' in Raphaela's voice. "We were wondering just who would be so frivolous."

"Valni…" Urien began in a warning tone. He then sighed and covered her mouth. "Ignore her. We were just..."

"Why? It's clear she's stuck in the mud over something that knocked her to the ground," Raphaela replied, shrugging. Probably because of the music, but she was actually in a good enough mood to be charitable. "Doesn't make _me_ muddy if she wants to attempt to throw barbs from the muck." Then again, she was probably just purposely hitting nerves.

"That's… an interesting perspective." Urien glanced at me worriedly. I closed my eyes, knowing that things might turn bad quickly. "Ah, anyway, we should…"

"Is it really? I mean; your life can end in an instance. You could be buried in a sandstorm. You could drown in a flash flood. You could be eaten by a monster. You could be killed by people you're trying to help." She leaned forward slightly, still smiling, but her eyes glinted. "That's what happened to my mother. The last one, I mean. She was one of the messengers sent to offer our help to outsiders, and they killed her for it." I facepalmed, because yep, she was purposely making them as uncomfortable as possible. "Anyway, all sorts of things can kill you. So, why spend your life being miserable? You should live it to the fullest, laugh and joke around. When tomorrow comes, your friends could be dead. Do you really want your last hours with them be filled with doom and gloom?" She straightened with a shrug. "I mean; you can call yourself 'serious' and all, but really, you're just bringing the mood down, and being bratty because you think that other people shouldn't be happy if _you're_ miserable."

"Raphaela," I interrupted, doing my best to emulate Ishmael's authoritative tone. It seemed to work since she immediately looked to me. "Ishmael would be disappointed." She immediately flinched. Ishmael's disappointment was a fate worse than death. "And such words demean the Session. Best return to it and remember what we sing and perform for."

"Right…" Raphaela mumbled. She sulked a little bit, no doubt because I was acting like the older one when _she_ was really older, but returned to the group with a skip in her step. A quick look showed that Kas was still performing, which was probably why she had that skip.

Though I longed to return to it too, I faced Urien and Valni. "My apologies for her," I murmured, before giving Valni the sternest look I could manage. She immediately looked away. "That said, these are no mere festivities. They are _important_ to us. Songs are important. They are part of our life, our culture, and have been since long before this war began." I paused, expected an answer, but she simply stomped away. "Well then…"

"I'm afraid she's not the best at communicating, even when she's not overwhelmed," Urien apologized, smiling sheepishly. I wondered what could've caused her to get overwhelmed, before deciding it didn't matter. Or, well, it did, but I could guess a thousand and one times, and possibly still not be right. It would be better to talk to her about it, if she let me. "May I ask who 'Ishmael' is, though?"

"Our leader, and Raphaela's father." I smiled slightly, ignoring the ache in my heart. I missed him horribly. "Meaning yes, outsiders killed his wife and yet still, he welcomed outsiders into his city and he gives every bit of help that our people can spare. He is…" I shrugged, unable to think of the word I wanted. "He is a good leader for us."

"He sounds like one of those few people who manage to be both a good person and a good ruler." Urien bowed. "Ah, but it seems I took you from your brother's performance."

"I've seen it before. Our people request that he dances this one every time we decide for this story." Normally, I would dance the one after his, but since I'd opted out, another would. I was a little jealous, truthfully. "And unlike Raphaela, he doesn't make a fuss."

"Story?"

"Yes, though not a story in the way that you're thinking." 'Pattern' actually might be a better word. "Each song and each dance has a specific meaning to them."

"I'm assuming in a way different from 'nostalgia' or the like?" Urien laughed. "We have songs that we hold dear as well, but we hold them dear for reasons such as 'this used to be sung at my village before it was burned'."

"Yes, different from that, though I imagine those of us not actually born in the desert have songs like that." Even Kas and I remembered a couple, mostly just lullabies Mother would sing to Oliver. "Still, is it wise to leave Valni alone?"

"Not in this mood, so I must leave." Urien grinned. "The songs are beautiful, by the way. That's why we followed."

"Thank you."

He left and I quickly returned to the circle, heading right for my spot. Myrrh immediately sat in my lap again, bouncing and wiggling to the music. I laughed, and held her hands to 'dance' with her, and told her the stories behind the songs being sung. Because, of course, every song had a meaning. Each song was picked specifically for the messages they held. This was no random assortment of music. Each one blended together to make up a prayer, and a blessing, one that would travel to the gods. Or so I was told. I wasn't all that convinced the gods were paying attention.

But I did love the comfort these songs brought, and that was enough.

* * *

A few nights after the Session, the hawks shrieked. Before I was even fully awake, I was on my feet, lance in hand, sleepily telling Myrrh to stay under the covers while I investigated. After all, our hawks were rarely awake at night, much less shrieking. If they were alarmed, then something was wrong. And that was something _all_ of us from the desert knew, even the most recent ones like Damion and Sierra. As a result, all of us desert folk were outside, yawning but armed, looking for what had scared the hawks. Kas appeared at my side, whistling for Kratos. Raphael appeared by my other, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, waiting for any sort of information.

Kas whistled again, and this time, Kratos appeared. He was followed by Nike, Bia, Zelus, and all the other hawks the first wave had brought. All of them continued shrieking, making sure they were heard. Nike flew right to me and dropped something into my palm, a piece of papery skin with coagulated blood stuck on one side. I held it out so that Kas and Raphaela could see, and they nodded, recognizing it even though it wasn't _as_ papery as normal. Corpses were walking, and they were heading here. The hawks must've heard them.

We passed the information quickly and raced back to our tents to prepare. And, right in front of my tent, I ran into someone. Literally. And I almost fell flat on my ass, but the someone caught me. A look up showed it was Urien, perfect awake and in his nightclothes.

"What is going on?" he asked me quietly. There was nothing accusatory in his tone, simply confusion. "I think the hawks woke the dead."

"Normally, I think I'd throw something at you for the bad joke," I replied, pushing the flap aside and stripping out of my nightclothes. I heard a sound that sounded almost like a strangled animal, and glanced back to see him looking away, quite red in the face. "Something wrong? Surely you've seen a girl in her underwear before."

"Not really?" Amusingly, his voice was squeaky. "I mean; sure, injuries, but…"

"You're weird." I did pull the tent flap shut for him, though. "Anyway, the problem _is_ dead. Walking dead. The hawks are shrieking because they're heading this way, or so we think."

"Revenants? Damn it…"

I almost asked about the weird word, but instead focused on waking up Myrrh and getting my clothes and leather armor on. Myrrh mumbled and grumbled about being awake, but stood up when a bell began wildly ringing, loud enough to make my ears ring. _Clang-a-clang-a-clangclang-clang_! Over and over and over again. And it was even louder when I poked my head out to ask Urien what was with the bell. And stared a moment when I couldn't see him. I hadn't heard him leave.

"Warning bells." However, he did walk up again, now dressed in his own armor and buckling his sword on his belt. He was _fast_ at it apparently, which was impressive considering it was all metal pieces and the like. "I sent scouts out and they confirmed what your hawks saw," he informed me quietly. Myrrh leaned out behind me, yawning loudly and clutching a blanket around her. "I'll show you where she can stay. It'll be the safest place."

"Yes, that'll be good," I murmured, resting a hand on her head. She blinked blearily at me, not knowing what was going on. "Do we have time for me to get her anything or…?"

"Honestly, probably not. I'd recommend another blanket, but…" He shook his head. "They're not far."

"Okay."

"What do you do in the desert?"

"We have regular monster hunts to prevent them from getting close, but Zada was once a castle or fortress." I ushered Myrrh back inside the tent. "I'll be right out."

I got her cloak on, as well as two blankets, just in case. Then I picked up my lance in one hand, held onto Myrrh's hand in the other, and walked out of the tent. People were rushing this way and that, many only half-dressed as they struggled to get ready. Urien ignored them easily, leading me through the chaotic mess to where Myrrh would hide during the battle. And, when we arrived, I _severely_ questioned the supposed safety of the area, since it was just a tent set up next to the infirmary. Yes, there were guards, but that seemed to be it. However, I came upon the answer almost as soon as I finished the question. Urien hadn't said 'safe'. He had said 'safest'. 'Safest' didn't necessarily mean 'safe', only ' _less dangerous_.'

"Okay, Myrrh…" I murmured, leading her inside the tent. There were others already here, younger adolescents who were all crammed together and shivering from terror. I actually recognized one as the boy Kas and I saw being ripped away from his mother. "I need you to be _extra_ good and stay in here, okay?" I knelt down and kissed her forehead. She trembled, finally realizing what was going on. "You stay with these people. If they say to move to a different place, you move."

"B-but…!" Myrrh protested, crying. I wondered if I said anything like what her parents did. I hoped not, but… "Evelyn…!"

"I know. It's scary." I wished I could reassure her more. "It's very scary. But if you're safe with these people, then I'll be able to fight to my fullest."

"A-and come back?" She hiccuped and clung to me. "You'll come back?"

"That's right." I glanced back at Urien apologetically, but he waved it off silently. "The only thing that will keep me from you is death itself, and believe me when I say that god will have to win a fight against me to claim my soul. I promise."

"I… but…"

"Hmm… ah, I know…" I leaned out briefly. "Nike?" And, of course, my Nike swooped down immediately. No doubt she had been waiting near me, just in case. And since she had been watching, she knew what I wanted, and thus, she landed on Myrrh's shoulder. "Nike will stay with you. And I will be back for both of you as soon as I can."

"I…" Myrrh sniffed, still clinging. Nike ran her beak through her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "Evelyn…"

"Here, Myrrh…" Urien suddenly murmured, kneeling down in front of her. He pulled a small, wooden charm from his pocket and handed it to her. "This is a good luck charm. If you hold onto it, and wish very hard, then it'll keep all of us safe." He smiled and closed her hand around it. "It's magical like that."

"O-okay…" Myrrh hiccuped. She was still crying, but she attempted a smile anyway. "Come back soon…"

I gave Myrrh one last hug before exited the tent, Urien right behind me. Outside, I saw Kratos, Bia, and Zelus perched nearby, and other hawks situated near. They would be the warning bells for them here. Not much different than back at Zada, except far less defensible. I half-wished we could just drag everyone to Zada, or at least one of the other abandoned buildings that dotted the desert. They were at least made of stone, not cloth. But I was rapidly learning that the desert was even more blessed than I had originally thought.

"Thank you," I whispered to Urien as we made our way towards the woods. You could already hear people fighting. "What was with the charm?"

"Oh, that?" he replied, ducking under something. I didn't have a chance to look back and see what it was. "It's something my father made me, for the same reason." He smiled sheepishly, laughing a bit. "I was probably about her age when demons overran my home village and killed my mother. Father had no idea where he could leave me, since we didn't have any other family and all his friends were either dead or in the army, so I was brought into the army camp. And every battle, I'd hold onto that charm and whisper prayers into it that he'd come back."

"Did he?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Father died four years ago, but it wasn't from battle. It was from an illness. Sadly, illnesses spread rapidly in camps."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"I had him longer than most do, nowadays." We made it to the battlefield, and it was already a horrifying mess. And it seemed battles in the desert were neater than I thought. Yes, you still had blood and guts everywhere, but the sand absorbed the liquid and covered the solids. Here? Here, it was all in the muddy muck, unable to go anywhere. "I assume you'll be looking for your brother?"

"Yeah." My attention went to the corpses, and I flinched at them. "You know; these walking corpse things are way more threatening when the sun hasn't baked them." They hadn't been dried up, so you could see where the flesh sloughed off, and their eyeballs were actually in their skulls. "Well, at least they smell better."

"They smell _better_?"

"You ever smelled cooking rotted meat?" I smiled, faking a confidence I didn't feel. "Anyway, I need to find Kas, and I'm guessing you need to find someone?"

"Mikael will have my orders; Grado will have my horse. Mikael should also know where Kasimir is." Urien scanned the area before pointing in a direction. "That way."

"Lead on." It wasn't like I had a damn clue where I was going. "Time to rekill people. Yay."

Urien didn't bother replying to that. Instead, he led me through the field, keeping to the edges of the fighting so that we weren't caught. I wondered why he picked this particular direction, but chose to not question it. As much as I knew about fighting, it was pretty clear right now that I didn't know too much about wide-scale battles. Just small battles where you only had to worry about a handful of allies. And I wasn't looking forward to managing so many people, or even being _aware_ of so many people.

But this was what we apparently decided to fight in, so I bit my tongue and kept my worries to myself. Instead, I focused on being surprised that Urien found Mikael so quickly. Even better, however, was that Kas was with him. I immediately went to his side, and Kas greeted me with a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Ah, there you two are," Mikael noted, nodding a greeting to us both. Urien saluted or something; I just waved. "Is Myrrh in the tent?" I nodded, trying to not flinch. She had been so scared… "It's always painful leaving them behind, especially when young. Hopefully she won't emulate a certain young boy and try to come onto the field…" He looked pointedly at Urien, who coughed and looked away. I, however, was terrified, but comforted myself with the knowledge that Nike, Kratos, and the other hawks wouldn't let her be so stupid. I hoped. Ugh… why did he have to say that?! "Regardless. Kasimir, as I was saying, I will leave your people under your orders and give you free rein."

"You're going to what now?" Kas asked, startled. Urien frowned, showing it wasn't just Kas, and I, not knowing how armies worked. "I… while I can appreciate the vote of confidence or whatever this is…"

"It's pragmatism, not confidence. Yes, there are risks, but…" Mikael sighed, running a hand through his hair. A bloody hand. I looked him over and saw he was actually splattered. Since Kas wasn't, I had to assume that Mikael _had_ been fighting, and then stepped out to talk to Kas. "There hasn't been enough time to integrate the two. Your tactics and ours… we don't know either. And from what I saw of that battle in the town, you're very used to fighting in _small_ groups, yes?"

"Yes. Hunting parties numbered fifteen at most."

"And as you can see, we have a lot more than fifteen." Way more, really. "I can't expect you to know how to do our strategies."

"In short, we need to adapt around yours, but it'll be at our own discretion."

"Precisely." Mikael nodded. There was a wail and a bellow of rage behind us. I glanced back curiously, and watched someone charge the horde of corpses… and be promptly ripped apart because they were alone. "Because I don't know how you work best. Need a _bit_ more time for that. So, we'll do what we can, and then if there are significant issues…"

The ground suddenly trembled beneath our feet, in time with very loud 'thuds' and the crunching snaps of tree branches and trunks. And when I looked up, I saw a demon I really hoped I'd never see again. That one-eyed giant that literally ate people. One was just lumbering out of the words, giant axe carving a path in the mud as it dragged it behind it.

"Oh, great…" Urien sighed, looking very done. Mikael looked the same. Kas went stoic to hide his horror. "They have a cyclops."

"You _named_ the demons?" I asked dryly, not looking forward to this at all. It killed so many, and our tactic… well, it wouldn't work. There weren't sand dunes. "Is it so that you had a name for the thing that eats you?"

"It saves ink for the reports and death notices." Urien glanced at Mikael. "Grado has my horse?" Mikael nodded. "Then I'll do what I need to do."

"And I guess we'll do what _we_ need to do." I poked Kas's side and Kas smirked, hiding his fear with confidence. Just like me. "Ready or not, here we come~!"

"Desert! Form small groups!" Kas snapped, both of us running towards the side to make it easier for us to organize. Our people listened immediately, automatically grouping up with people they _knew_ they worked well with. "No more than five in one group, four preferred, just as normal! Our job is to support the soldiers as best as we can. Hit and run tactics! Leash the demons' movements, and lure them into firing ranges! The demons aren't weakened by the desert here, but we're not held back either! Adapt where needed, and if you die, I'm going to drag you back myself and I'll be mad at the wasted time!"

That got a little bit of laughter, and groups arranged to get things smaller. I stayed near Kas, of course. Raphaela joined us, and Damion, wielding his bow, decided to stick with us. "Sierra?" I asked him, holding out my hand. Damion spelled out 'infirmary' on my palm. "Okay. I hope we don't give them _too_ much work."

"And that we don't give them too much work in a _good_ way." Kas's voice was raspy from the shouting. "Okay, we four have fought together before. Charge and cover. And don't get your head kicked in by a horse."

And we jumped into the fray, skirting the edges of the various bouts of fighting to reduce numbers and control just where the demons went. We had used tactics like this to lure the one-eyed demon into the sand dune, and we've used it for others, like the weird dogs and the like. Corpses were among the stupidest of the demons, so it wasn't too hard, save for their sheer amount and trying to avoid the one-eyed demon as much as we could. That all said, I hated fighting the corpses. They were just so… messy. Messier than the others, because everything about them just _stuck_. There were few things as annoying as having a piece of dead, rotting skin stuck to the back of your neck and being unable to do a damn thing about it because you were too busy exploding other shambling corpses like rotted melons. Mostly because if you didn't destroy the head, you had an even-odd chance of an arm just continuing to move at you, pulling itself through the sand (or mud in this case) before latching onto you and not letting go.

At some point, a mess of blood and flesh flopped to the ground next to me, splattering me with fresh blood. I almost ignored it, but I did a double-take, noticing their face was familiar. More familiar than a 'oh, I passed them once maybe'. After a split-second, I figured it out. They were harder to recognize without the sneer, but it was the soldier who had punched Latona a few days ago. And now they were dead, ripped in half. Well, based on how splintered the spine was, they actually might've been… bitten…

I had a split-second to think 'I am a total idiot' before I was snatched up by a large, meaty hand, with fingers easily as long as I was tall. I heard someone scream my name, and I kicked and struggled despite the crushing grip. But I was very thoroughly stuck because I had stupidly remained exactly where I was instead of moving, and so, became a perfect target for the one-eyed demon. The demon that barely paid any attention to me, preparing to just toss me into its mouth. The mouth that was dripping with fresh blood, and had pieces of bone and limbs stuck between rotting teeth.

However, because it wasn't paying attention, and just absently throwing me towards the mouth, I actually got lucky. I managed to wriggle out and latch onto the arm just as it began tossing me, so I didn't end up eaten. However, probably because of copious pain and battle-fever, I then did something that was probably a little stupid. I didn't jump or climb down. I didn't look for help getting me away from the giant that could easily eat me. Instead, I used the arm as a platform to jump onto its head. And before I could think twice, I flipped my lance around and stabbed it straight in the eye.

It shrieked, the sound rattling my ears and I nearly fell when it tossed its head back. I only didn't because I automatically stabbed straight down to use my lance as an anchor, and the tip of the lance went straight into the skull, more easily than I would've thought. And that might've been the end of it, but since my ears were ringing, I looked down, and I saw something weird. Well, two weird things. One, the skin around the lance knit itself back together with ease, effectively sealing my lance _in_ its skull. Two… two, there was a strange black… liquid oozing out where the lance met the skin, welling up like blood. Except it wasn't blood, because the popped eye rained crimson.

Confused and curious, and now being _more_ than a 'little stupid' since it was stumbling about in pain, I grabbed my lance with both hands and used all my strength to push it down further into the skull. It moved slowly, so I leaned against the lance, adding my weight to the pressure. More and more of the black ooze bubbled out, spilling over my boots. I thought it would make my footing slippery, but I didn't notice anything. I just kept pushing… and pushing… and pushing… until I was practically kneeling on the demon's head, the black ooze soaking my pants and my lance nearly disappearing into the demon's skull.

Then, it froze. No shrieking. No stumbling. Nothing. For one full breath, there was nothing. And then its body liquified. Right under me. Leaving me in the middle of the air for a split-second. And then I was falling a very, _very_ long distance.

"Hold your arm out!" Automatically, I did as the voice commanded, and someone snatched it. And probably wrenched my arm out of the socket, based on the intense pain and pins and needles feeling that radiated through my neck and arm. But I didn't fall, and that was the important part. It wasn't, however, until I was safely back on the ground that I thought to actually see who saved me and… I was startled to see it was Valni.

"Thank you," I murmured, barely remembering my manners. She didn't land, but flew a little above me, and regarded me with a studying look. "I appreciate not going splat."

"Most do," she replied. After a moment, she ducked her head. "Sorry about your shoulder. I knew I wouldn't be quick enough to catch you on my pegasus."

"Shoulders can be popped back into place." Though a quick look showed that it was, in fact, dislocated. "And I've got so much battle-fever that I'm just a _little_ loopy from the pain."

"Figured, given what you did." She smiled slightly. "Go on and head back. Just in case that black stuff is poison."

"Good idea."

However, even when she left, I remained where I was, staring at where the one-eyed demon had been, no trace of a body. There was only a large puddle of crimson liquid with bits of black, the demon's giant axe, a ruined tattered cloth that had served as its 'clothes', and my lance floating in the liquid, still coated in that black ooze.

What the hell happened? What did I accidentally find? I wasn't sure it was a good thing.

* * *

I was semi-lucky. No one knew _what_ the ooze was, but they did determine fairly quickly that it wasn't poisonous or anything. My clothes and boots were confiscated for study as soon as that was confirmed, but someone lent me underwear to wear so that I wasn't sitting naked in the infirmary while being treated for my various bruises and other injuries. Not that I'd mind necessarily, but having underwear on did make it more comfortable for Myrrh. And Myrrh was with me. I had tried to tell her to simply wait for me outside the infirmary, but she had refused. In the end, I gave up and let her have the comfort she wanted. If it outweighed the nausea of being in an infirmary, then… well… what could I do? So, she was curled up asleep in my lap, cloak and blanket carefully wrapped around her, and I sat perfectly still while Sierra tended to me.

Of course, not even the distraction of Myrrh was enough to keep me from noticing just how… well, the infirmary was filled. It was overfilled, really. They really needed another tent, or at least a bigger one. People were crammed together and some were even set up for treatment outside the tent. I wondered how _anyone_ got better with the heat and the smell and the crying, but perhaps that was the power of medicine and healing staves. Or perhaps it was just another sign of how bad things really were.

"Where are the hawks?" Sierra asked me softly, probably to distract herself from the screaming behind her. A person was getting an axe cut out of their abdomen, with nothing to numb them or knock them out. They ran out _years_ ago, and the herbs they knew to make such things didn't grow near. "I forgot to ask earlier."

"They're with the scouts, assisting them in making sure that things are clear," I answered, keeping just as quiet. Myrrh mumbled in her sleep and made a face at the screaming, but she calmed when I stroked her hair. "Since the battle is over, after all." Though it felt like the _real_ battle had only begun, looking around here. "Where are the dead?"

"They're piled up behind the tent, with some wood." Sierra rubbed some balm into the bruises on my ribs. Most of me was a lovely mottled-blue-purple color from bruises. "They'll be burned to not become revenants."

"I see." I wondered what was wrong with 'corpses', but whatever. They had their weird terms, and I did have to admit that it was much easier to have names for the things. "Suppose it makes sense." And since the bodies would be dealt with, their spirits could cross on. Hopefully.

However, I worried many of the spirits would linger. There were so many in pain. Some were unfortunately conscious to experience every excruciatingly long second of it. Others had passed out, but still groaned and whimpered. Still others hovered on the edge between life and death, with the healers and herbalists having no idea if they'd live or not. And not having the time to try and tip them over to life, because there were so, so many. Worse were the ones tucked in corners, doomed to die because no one could spare enough time to heal them.

It broke my heart. So, I began singing a Prayer Song. Sierra hesitantly hummed along, recognizing the melody of this particular one, but having not memorized the words yet. She smiled, though, because of just _why_ she had recognized it. It had been one of the Prayer Songs I had sung while she and Damion were being treated in Zada. It was one of the more common ones, so others from the desert, who were also being treated, joined in. The lyrics threaded through the crying and groans of the wounded, the whimpers and screams of the pained. I might've imagined it, but it did feel like the very air of the infirmary lightened with the song, like even it perked up from the music.

"That's pretty…" When the song ended, Latona walked over and smiled gently at us. Her hood was down, and she had so much blood dried on her that her hair looked crimson patched with green instead of the other way around. Her skin and clothes were worse. "Might I ask what song it was?" she requested softly. "I've never heard it."

"It's one of the Prayer Songs we have," I explained, knowing Sierra would be hesitant. Sierra flashed me a smile before focusing on my shoulder. The dislocation had really done a number on the area. "The exact name escapes me for the moment, though. We have a lot."

"A 'Prayer Song'?" She tilted her head to the side, and I had to bite back a laugh. She reminded me of Minxie the Lynx when she did that. "What is the prayer?"

"All Prayer Songs essentially have the same 'prayer', truthfully. It's asking for mercy." I closed my eyes and remembered Ishmael's explanation. "It asks the gods to ease the pain of the injured, either by allowing them to heal or to grant them a peaceful death. It asks that they lessen our suffering." I opened my eyes again to smile at her. "I mean; ideally, they'll heal up and live, but if there is no chance…"

"That's so kind." She smiled sadly this time, but knowingly. She was a healer. A healer knew you could never save everyone. "I wish there had been songs like that for my home village."

"Where did you live?"

"Way up north, by the Darkling Woods." Now her smile was nostalgic, but I was startled. My childhood home had been right on the edge of the Darkling Woods. Kas and I had hidden there briefly before rushing south through other woods. "It was overrun by demons, much like other villages by the Woods. My grandmother said it was because one village cursed us all."

"Oh?" I felt a little… I didn't even know. On the one hand, my heart ached at hearing of all the deaths. On the other hand, if my former neighbors had been among them… if so, I was also sickeningly gleeful. "Why?"

"Ah… well…" Latona hesitated a bit before looking down. "In one village, there was a family. A family where some had coloring similar to you and Sierra, Evelyn. My grandmother remembered them from trading trips. Called them a happy family, with the parents and the five children. Three girls and two boys. I think the youngest was a four year old boy."

"I see…" That sounded like… that sounded like _my_ family. "I suppose I can guess what happened."

"Their fellow villagers killed them. Beat them to death, set the house on fire. My grandmother was an herbalist and she had rushed over when she saw the smoke in the distance. She called it a 'nightmare'." Latona hugged herself, shivering. I felt sick because now I was _sure_ she was talking about my family. "And my grandmother said that those villagers cursed themselves and the land around, for such brutality would only be met with brutality. A month later, demons poured out of the Woods. I was the only survivor. The first of many situations." She looked down and took a deep breath before looking up again. "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to ramble."

"No, it's fine." I hesitated a bit before deciding to share just a bit. "If I'm remembering correctly, Kas and I had relatives near there." It… wasn't a 'very good' bit, and nowhere near 'equal'. But it was all I could say. For now. I would tell her the whole truth later. It wasn't something to hide. Merely something that hurt to talk about. "But right, dreary. No need to add anymore to the place."

"Certainly." Latona giggled and watched Sierra rub more balm on my bruises. "You're quite skilled, Sierra. I'm so glad we have you." Sierra looked up shyly to smile, but remained silent. She really wasn't good around strangers. "Regardless, I'd like to give you another checkover, Evelyn, to see if anything has changed with time. If you're still well, then I have a dress you can borrow to walk to your tent. We healers keep quite a few changes of clothes here, just in case."

"Sounds good." I made sure to smile up at her. "Thanks."

"Of course."

Latona's check proved nothing unusual, though I was to report to the infirmary in the morning for another check up. Myrrh mumbled protests when I shifted her off my lap to pull on the dress, but she quieted when I picked her up, careful to keep her all wrapped up. Then I kissed Sierra's cheek in thanks, winked at Latona, and headed out to clear out the space. Before I had even taken half a step outside, another patient had been moved into my vacated spot, and Sierra was back at work with Latona on the other side of the tent entirely.

Outside, the sun was rising, proving that despite the aching muscles and exhaustion clawing at my head, the battle had lasted only a few hours, not a few months. I binked a bit at the change in light and yawned, shifting Myrrh a bit higher so that both of us were more comfortable, and then stepped out of the entranceway before looking around to wonder just where to go. To my surprise, Valni was standing just across the way, fidgeting with her hands. Like she was waiting for someone. And the way she focused immediately on me said that she had been waiting for _me_. Her rushing over confirmed it.

"I… um… I overheard what you were saying to Latona. About these songs," she began, looking down. She bit her lip, clearly trying to think of the words she wanted. "Thank you. For praying for them. These songs are just as important as the others, right?"

"They are," I confirmed. I made sure to smile. If she came to me, and was making an effort to try and be tactful, then how could I do any less? "They are some of our most precious."

"...We'll make this work." She looked up then, and though there was some anger in her eyes, I saw determination as well. "I… um… I lost my fiance. Not long ago. Probably only a couple of weeks before you and your brother showed up."

"I am sorry for your loss." My mind raced, trying to figure out something else to say. "Would you like me to sing one of our funerary songs for them? In case their spirit is lingering?"

"That… that would be nice, yes." Her voice cracked, but there were no tears. Her pain was still too deep. I definitely knew that feeling. "Do you need help carrying the little one?"

"No, I've got her, but thank you." Myrrh mumbled something and clung a little tighter to me. "I fear she is still recovering from her own loss."

"Maybe one day, we'll have a world where orphans aren't the 'norm'." Her smile implied she didn't really think it would happen. But her tone said… her tone said that she hoped to be proven wrong still. "At the least, let me walk you to your tent. Everyone gets all crazy after a battle."

"Now that, I will accept." ...Yeah, maybe we could make this work after all. I had to think about this all differently, more like how we treated our refugees. One scarred child reaching out to another. "Thank you."

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn; Eve_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _Loves the Sessions primarily because they are so completely different than what she experienced with her birth family and her old life. It's something 'untainted' by the memories, though she often does think of how much her family would've loved them_

 _She's not really certain on this 'leadership role' that she's half-taken up, since she's always been inclined to stay back and listen. However, if that's the role she has to take to protect her family, she'll do it._

 _Kasimir; Kas_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Swords_

 _Despite his calm air, he's actually very stage shy and always gets a horrible bout of anxiety when he knows he'll be asked to perform. His pride, however, makes him hide it (and tips from Ishmael make it easier for him to push through)_

 _Didn't truly realize the weight of commanding people in an outright war until the battle, and it makes him sick to his stomach. Still, he promised Ishmael, and he refuses to falter._

 _Raphaela_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Dark Magic_

 _Didn't really mean to be so snappy on the first day, but between all the various insults (the people who greeted them called them 'desert rats' and Valni casually dismissed something all-but-sacred to her people), caused her temper to boom. It embarrasses her since she promised her father that she'd do her best to behave._

 _Though she tries to hide it, being in an open battle against so many, alongside so many people, shook her badly. Especially when she saw all the death. It makes her feel all the worst for her outburst, and she truly wishes that they could just go home and hide._

 _Myrrh_

 _4(?) years old_

 _Hates-hates-hates being away from Evelyn or Kasimir long. Even if other people have 'nice songs' in their hearts (like Urien and Latona), she doesn't feel safe with them. She only feels safe with Evelyn and Kasimir_

 _While the battle was going on, she had a long talk with Nike about the forest in order to distract herself. And whispered prayers to the charm, scared that Evelyn and Kasimir wouldn't come back, just like her parents. Nike reassured her, though, and kept her from crying._

 _Damion_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Bow_

 _One of the newest additions to the desert family, he wasn't actually all that keen on leaving Zada to return to the 'outside'. However, after seeing Kasimir and Evelyn leave, he decided he should try and show the same courage. As Sierra said, he's lost many friends to the demons, and his parents._

 _Wields a bow due to being a hunter back in his home village, and shooting demons isn't much different than shooting animals. Often, it's easier, because animals actually have some intelligence, though he does wish that demons were actually edible so that they'd have some sort of purpose beside killing and dying._

 _Sierra_

 _18 years old_

 _One of the newest additions to the desert family, she wears numerous bandages to hide her burn scars. Most prominently are the bandages wrapped around the left side of her face, to hide her missing, scarred up eye. Her left side is, in general, more bandaged because when she curled up in an attempt to keep safe, her left side was more exposed to the flames._

 _Studied and learned medicines back in Zada because she was fascinated by how they saved both her life and Damion's. She wants to save people's lives just as hers was saved… and prove her home village wrong that a 'child of a demon' can bring no good._

 _ **Army**_

 _Mikael, General_

 _54 years old_

 _Weapons: Axe, Sword_

 _Is careful to balance cultural differences in the army because the army is really an amalgamation of many different remnants of countries and some people cling to those 'old traditions' as a means of staying sane_

 _Has been fighting in this war since the beginning, which played a role in why he was entrusted with the army after Gabriel's death four years ago. Not his preferred choice, but he does what he can_

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _Has fought in the army for six years, and lived with it for sixteen. He's so used to army camps that he's forgotten what it's like to sleep in a proper bed, or to consistently have a roof over his head_

 _Doesn't remember much about his mother, but keeps a few of her things with him, mostly things his father salvaged and he inherited. He does know lots of stories, however, as his father talked about her often_

 _Valni, Lieutenant-General_

 _18 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _Had waited for Evelyn to make sure she hadn't managed to cause serious damage to her arm, and to attempt to apologize for what she said about the songs. While she couldn't choke out the actual apology, she… hopes she made it clear anyway_

 _Hadn't actually planned on telling Evelyn about her fiance, Thantos, who she met when she joined the army two years ago, but she felt like she needed to try and give some sort of explanation. It touched her that Evelyn would offer a song, and she admits that said song was one of the most comforting things she's ever heard_

 _Grado, Lieutenant-General_

 _22 years old_

 _Weapon: Axe_

 _Due to his diplomacy, he's tasked often with integrating new members into the army, even though Urien is much better at shaming and playing peacekeeper. It's also his job to arrange the camp map so that 'mortal enemies' aren't set up right next to each other, to lessen fights_

 _Despite having served in the army for four years, he is not a morning person in the slightest and typically requires copious amounts of tea to even begin to think if he's forced to wake up early._

 _Latona, Healer_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapon: Staff_

 _Due to her reputation, many in the army avoid her or attempt to 'remove her' from the army. She tends to suffer in silence, scared of making trouble for her friends. Especially since they wish to keep being her friends even after learning about her being a 'bad luck charm', a reputation that's haunted her since she first joined the army five years ago_

 _Is a bit surprised at how easily those of the desert befriend her, but tries to not question it since she can be very lonely. Due to that loneliness, she can also become attached quite quickly, and almost terrifyingly loyal to the point of self-destruction._

* * *

Author's notes: First real battle of the army and all! Yay? Bit of a longer chapter this time around. There's nothing about a 'Damasca Empire' or whatnot in the game. I'm just using that as another helpful explanation for why everyone speaks the same language besides just the normal 'trade'. ' _Wind Beneath My Wings'_ is a randomly chosen song name, and features briefly in _Records of the Valiant_. Yes, the monsters/demons act a little differently than in _Records of the Valiant_ , but the Demon King is at full power here, so I figured the demons would be a little more threatening. (Also, I am keeping some names used in _Records of the Valiant_ for locations just for ease. Probably should've said that earlier.)

Next Chapter - Diverge


	4. Chapter 4) Diverge

Chapter 4) Diverge

* * *

 _We had our first battle as part of the army and it was an… interesting experience. More effort is put on integrating we desert folk into the army, especially as the rest of us arrive. It was more than expected, bringing the final count to a full eighty-seven. Plus the supplies. I half-thought Mikhail would cry when he saw all we brought; I know I saw some of the healers weep for joy at having numbing herbs for the first time in literally years. It's weird._

 _All of this is weird. I want to go home. But I can't. Ishmael tasked me with making sure things worked. So, that's what I was going to do._

* * *

I felt like I needed to take twenty-thousand baths in scalding hot water. That black goopy stuff that I'd been coated with after stabbing that 'cyclops' in the head was way worse than I thought. Now, granted, the mages were still investigating and all, but analysis through light, dark, and the anima magics seemed to suggest that the black goop was liquified, rotten human remains. Which now led them to speculate that _all_ demons, not just the 'revenants' and skeletons, were made from corpses. Because nothing says 'demonic' and 'creepy' than… that.

It also suggested that the Demon King actively crafted these demons, which would explain why there were so many of the revenants and skeletons, and not as many of the other ones. And since that required a lot of magical power, there would be an 'anchor' for that power, a 'core'. Which, if disrupted, would destabilize the magic holding things together, resulting in a rapid degeneration. Or so the reports said. All I really got from it was that I'd gotten that demon's equivalent of a brain or heart. And that the Demon King apparently liked sculpting things from dead bodies. Because _of course_ he would.

"That is just so gross…" I whispered, flipping through while I stroked a sleeping Myrrh's hair. Myrrh mumbled something in her sleep and curled up more in my lap. "You agree too, Myrrh? I thought you might." I smiled softly at her and tried to stretch my legs without dislodging her or, worse, waking her up. She whimpered in protest and buried herself closer to me, so I resigned myself for just spending a very long time with cramped legs and aching knees.

Myrrh had been clinger than before, likely because she now truly realized the danger. I couldn't blame her for it, and it wasn't as if having her with me made my 'job' any harder. I mostly just worked as the 'social' liaison or whatever the term was between the desert people and everyone else. Kas was more of the 'military' person, and the leader-leader. Meaning _he_ actually had paperwork, which was hilarious, but often resulted in-

"Eve, darlingest sister of my heart…" Kas stepped into my tent with a stack of papers tucked under his arm. "Help?" he asked weakly. He looked exhausted, like he'd been up early trying to deal with these things. "Please?"

"You look like you need a nap," I teased, smiling reassuringly at him. I held out my hand for the papers, and used the other one to point to my bed. "Take one. I'm just reading through the mages' notes again."

"You are the best…" He made sure that I had the papers and then flopped down onto my blankets and pillows, groaning. "I've been up since before dawn. This is way more paperwork than Ishmael deals with."

"To be fair, Ishmael deals with a smaller group, and I'm sure things will calm once we're all settled in." I set the papers down and scooped up Myrrh before tucking her in next to Kas. She immediately cuddled into him. "Here. I'll have to separate them out, and I don't want to wake her."

"Like I'm going to complain." He yawned and closed his eyes, already dozing. "Thanks, Eve. I mean it."

"We're all out of our depth, Kas, and you know how I like the support and observe role." I pulled an extra blanket over him and kissed his cheek. "You take a good nap. If there's an emergency, I'll wake you."

"Love you too, Eve…" And then he was out like a candle, curled around Myrrh protectively while both slept.

I giggled at both of them, and kissed both of their cheeks again before sitting down to separate out the papers. First by urgency and then by type. A lot of it dealt with supplies, fighting strength… things that I was somewhat used to seeing. Ishmael had to keep up with these things as well. But they were so… distant. They were no fun little notes or observations from the reporters. There were no words of encouragement and respect. No little child's drawing drawn to lift the mood. No doodles in the margins from where the reporter got distracted. It was just page after page after page of words. Boring, dry words. No wonder everyone in the camp was grumpy. Boring words and awful smells. It was a miracle they didn't riot.

"Evelyn?" There was a 'knock' on the tent flap. It took me a moment to recognize the voice as Urien's. "Is Kasimir in there?" he asked, not opening the flap. So, I stood up and pushed it aside so that I could talk to him face-to-face. He looked as tired as Kas did. Did none of them ever sleep? "There was something we needed his input on, but he's not in his tent."

"Will mine due?" I asked him, stepping to the side so that he could look in. His expression immediately softened when he saw Kas and Myrrh fast asleep. By this point, Myrrh had tucked herself into Kas's chest. It reminded me of when Lianne would nap with Oliver… "I'd rather not wake him unless I have to."

"I think you can answer this, yes." Urien's attention went to the ground, where the papers were. "Those are…?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." I stepped back in front of him, smiling. "So, what did you need?"

"Ah, yes!" He produced a paper from his pocket, and unfolded it so that I could look. "See, it has to do with transport and storage of the food items you brought, and the hawks…"

Talking with Urien didn't take all that long, and when we finished, I decided that Kas needed the whole day off and took over the things that I could. After all, since I was just the one who kept people calm, I actually got decent amounts of sleep. And, thankfully, most of his jobs today _were_ things that I could handle, so he could just rest and play with Myrrh while I worked. It was only fair.

"Ah, before I forget, I wanted to ask about something," Grado noted. He was walking me to where… someone was. Names were blurring together, and I definitely needed to make a list or something. Or snatch Damion and drag him along. He remembered _every_ name. "It's about this lance in your convoy."

"You're going to have to be _way_ more specific," I replied dryly, ducking under someone swinging a box to the side. They yelped an apology, but I waved it off and kept on walking. Grado walked fast just as I did, which meant even a second's pause meant having to jog to catch up. "Because there are _so_ many lances. So many."

"It's this magical one that your mages say you brought in?"

"Something that I brought…" I took a moment to remember that spear I'd won from the flying demon. So much happened afterwards. "Oh, that one. What about it."

"Well, while I was working with Valni on inventory, my friend Tobias came over to bother me, as usual." Grado grinned, and I smiled slightly. I hadn't met this Tobias yet, but I'd heard rumors that he and Grado were as close as siblings. "And he saw the lance and wanted to try it out. But your people refused."

"They did?" I frowned, wondering why, before I realized the answer and facepalmed. "Oh. Oh, that's just a…" Word… word… fuck it. It wasn't important. "Basically, I found it and submitted it for examination via the mages. Meaning that until _I_ see the report, it's not allowed to be used. It's a safety thing." I sighed, waving my hands to 'push' my frustration away. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten. "They'd do the exact same thing if any of you submitted something. I'll go take care of it after meeting with whoever, and work on a compromise for future things."

"Maybe just simply have one of the lieutenant-generals review it?" Grado laughed, but I saw the relief in his eyes. He'd been worried that something had gone wrong. Like Tobias had asked wrong, or if my people distrusted theirs that much. "Seems like that will be easier than hunting down a person, especially since the battles…" Whatever cheer he had died, and he winced. "Hey… what did you all do when the person died?"

"At the risk of sounding sheltered and bratty, until recently, that actually wasn't a concern. It's only been in the past few years that the demons got anywhere close to Zada."

"Really?"

"Yeah…" I sighed, and reached back to undo and redo my bun. "The corpse things often dried up in the desert. Skeletons are bone, which wild animals would ambush and chew up for the marrow. The giant eyeball things… are giant eyeballs under either scorching sun or freezing conditions. The horse-man things? Stuck in the sands. The list goes on. What makes the desert hard for humans to live also makes it hard for demons to make it through. And, unlike humans, they don't have the intelligence to attempt adaptation."

"Which is how your people managed to escape so much of the war. The demons just couldn't reach, so it provided a barrier."

"Until recently." I caught sight of Sierra talking shyly with Latona, and winked at her to make her smile. But I kept my focus on Grado. "That one-eyed one… cyclops, you call them?" Weird as hell name, but whatever. "That was our first _bad_ battle. I won't say we didn't have deaths before or anything, but…" I shuddered, remembering that battle. "Even though it was bogged down by the sands, it was so large and strong that it still…" There had been a lot of funerals after that. Too many. "We eventually tricked it into a sand dune and collapsed it, trapping it long enough to bombard it with magic."

"How do you collapse a sand dune?"

"Do you even know what a sand dune is?"

"Sure." He looked away at my skeptical look. "I read! Once."

"The answer is that you dig." And then scramble like mad or hope that your allies helped you when if it collapsed _on you_. "Well, normally. In that case, we lured it to where a rotting tree was covered by the sand, and then had its weight collapse it." Or it might've been a rotting wooden house. I couldn't remember. "You can find all sorts of strange things in the desert. Treasures as well."

"Treasures?"

"It _did_ used to be a vast kingdom, and empire. Afternoon patrols also double as salvage teams seeing what the shifting sands have revealed." Most desert warriors switched between the morning and afternoon patrols. "You can find dried up husks of corpses, scrolls, tomes, weapons, gems, gold, staves…"

"You're pulling my leg."

"...No?" I frowned, confused, but then remembered it was an idiom or whatever. "No, you can ask any of us. The sword Kas favors is one such find." I shrugged, deciding it didn't matter if he believed me or not. "Whatever. Point I was trying to make is that until the cyclops thing showed up, we didn't have trouble. And _then_ came those weird flying ones."

"Flying ones?" Grado stopped cold, and turned to face me. A soldier almost ran into him, but Grado didn't even apologize to them, just focused on me. "What flying ones?"

"It's the one I got the lance from?" I frowned, wondering what was wrong. "Leather looking wings, like a wyvern's or a bat's. Fights with a lance. Hit and run tactics, but skin that crumples like paper." With each descriptor, Grado grew more and more confused, and I grew more and more worried. "Um… they have horns? Greyish skin?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about." Grado's voice shook slightly, and cold dread pooled in my gut. "I'll ask Mikhail. Might just be me."

"Of course…" But I couldn't shake this ill feeling. I needed to send Ishmael a message as soon as possible. "Ah, but meeting!"

"Yes, right, this way."

We walked in awkward silence the entire time, and I had to pretend that nothing was wrong the entire day. But I couldn't shake the feeling that… that the Demon King was _targeting_ the desert. And if that was the case… if that was the case, I...

Gods, you could hate and hurt me all you want, but _stay away from my family, damn it!_

* * *

After looking over the report, I officially 'cleared' that spear for use. I didn't take it, though. Though the mages found nothing wrong, it just made me uneasy. Probably just because it had been trying to kill me. But there was no point in wielding a weapon that unnerved me, so I sent it to Tobias with a little note explaining what had happened. And it was probably a good thing I had dealt with that quickly because that very night, the hawks shrieked alarms, sounding off for an ambush. But there was something different this time compared to the last battle. The camp was far, _far_ more frantic.

"What's going on?" I whispered, looking around. I didn't leave my tent, of course. Myrrh was still asleep. "Kas…?" I looked over to his tent, but he wasn't there. He must've gone looking for someone. "Okay… what's…?"

"Don't know why people expect you desert folk to know what's going on." Valni, thankfully, rushed over, tripping a bit. "There's thousands of revenants," she explained softly, with dull and tired eyes. Her smile was broken and bitter. "We're leaving. We can't fight that many. Not in a place like this."

"So…?"

"Pack up. Get your horse. Leave behind what isn't essential." She shrugged. "If we stay, we're dead. So, we retreat. The line gets pushed back again. I'd stay to help, but all fliers have to be in the air."

She rushed off, and I stared after her in shock, not quite comprehending what she meant. Just… just abandoning a place? I mean… I could sort of understand… except not? I supposed it was because I got to stay in one place for so long in Zada. But the soldiers here were far, far used to this, it seemed. So used to it that they didn't think to explain it anymore.

So, I just… I just did what Valni said. I woke up Myrrh, got her dressed, packed up all of our things… luckily, I hadn't really gained anything since arriving, so I had no trouble, but I did worry about the convoys and whatnot. At least, I did until I got out and saw Kas shouting orders. He'd probably been dragged out to deal with that, so I made sure that Kas's stuff was all packed for him. When he swung by, he kissed me on the cheek and Myrrh on the head before snatching his things and running off to do whatever else he had to do. I stood there awkwardly, clinging to sleepy Myrrh's hand, before I decided that I needed to get to Styx. And Myrrh needed to be safer. And, luckily, the perfect person was right by Styx, already ready to go.

"Raphaela, here," I murmured, not even bothering with a greeting. I just lifted Myrrh up and set her on Raphaela's horse. "If it comes to a fight, I'll have to be _much_ closer than you," I commented to frowning Raphaela. Then I ignored her to take Myrrh's hand and squeeze it reassuringly. "Raphaela is safer. She can fight from afar. With luck, I'll be able to ride next to you, okay?"

"O-okay…" Myrrh whimpered, sleepiness disappearing for fear. She leaned down and I got on the very tips of my toes to hug her. "Be careful…"

"Of course. As I told you, death will have a fight if it wants to claim me." I stepped back and looked to Raphaela. "I'm going to do a last run after getting my packs on Styx. I'll check your area too."

"Love you too, Evelyn," Raphaela whispered. She leaned down and kissed my head. "See you soon." And she rode off. Myrrh twisted in the saddle to keep me in sight as long as possible, and I made sure to keep up the reassuring smile until she was out of sight.

When she was, I got my packs on the saddle and led her through the camp back to where we'd been camped, just to see if anything important had been left, or if there was anything small enough to be tucked in. It was hard to find because someone had apparently noticed Myrrh and I had left and completely taken down the tent to move it… somewhere. In the end, I just sort of wandered, making sure no one had been lost in the mess. And while I wandered, I heard screams. I saw a young boy, maybe twelve, screaming and crying about his mother while an older soldier carried him off. It took me a moment to realize that I knew this boy. It was the boy Kas and I saw be ripped away from his mother. At least, I thought it was. And those screams reminded me of the town…

"There you are!" Urien appeared next to me, armored and armed. No horse, but he seemed to be running around doing last checks himself. "Got a bit worried when I saw Myrrh and not you," he commented, gesturing for me to follow him. I almost did, but I instead looked back to the screaming-crying boy. "Evelyn?"

"Has the town been warned?" I asked softly, not looking at him. When there was no answer, though, I repeated the words. "Has the town been warned?"

"There's no time." Urien's words were grim, and I looked at him in disbelief. "It'll be overrun by the time we get there. That's how fast they're moving."

"So, send a few…" I trailed off as Urien shook his head. "You're just going to leave them? You're just going to leave them to die?"

"If we don't leave now, _all_ of us are dying!" Urien glared, eyes flashing with quiet fury. I bristled automatically, my own rage boiling over in an instance. "There's no time!"

"If you're not even going to try and save one gods-damned child, _then what the hell are you fighting for_?!" Distantly, logically, I knew what he was actually trying to say. There wasn't any time, so you had to sacrifice the few for the many. This wasn't a situation where they could give orders in good faith to go after the town. But at the same time, my heart and spirit shrieked that this wasn't right. It went against everything I knew and loved to simply _leave_ someone, just because it was dangerous. To not take the risk, take the gamble, just because I could be hurt...

Ishmael had taken the risk when he saved Kas and me. Ishmael had taken the risk with every refugee he welcomed into Zada with open arms. And I knew what he'd do, if he was here right now. Therefore, there was only one thing _I_ could do.

With one last glare, I swung up into Styx's saddle and turned her around to gallop to the town. Urien, and maybe a few others, shouted my name, but I ignored them. I ducked under overhanging branches and bent low over Styx's neck. She responded by galloping her absolute fastest, a dangerous speed given the terrain, but with it, we might get there in time. Maybe. I would at least say that I _tried_ , damn it.

Thundering hooves caught my ear, and I glanced to the side to see Kas and Pallas keeping pace easily. He grinned at me, and I grinned back, because he knew why I had galloped off. I knew why he had caught up. We had to try. If there was a chance, no matter how small it was, then we had to _try_. Because we had been saved. We couldn't not save others.

At a gallop, it was a quick journey to the town or maybe that was the surge of energy and focus battles always brought. Regardless, we were in the town, and I could understand why Urien had said there was no time. It was already under attack. Corpses walking about, some of them wearing civilian clothes. The dead rising where they had died to kill more… though they were trampled under hooves just as well as anyone else, so Kas and I kept up the gallop, splitting up when we caught screams in two different directions. Before long, I saw a woman protectively wrapped around a little girl, while a dead woman's body slowly rose up, fingers twisting into razor sharp claws…

I sat back in the saddle and brought my lance up and around, trusting Styx to charge right for the corpse… revenant. Which, of course, she did, so I swung my lance in a large, downward arc to catch it in the sternum-collarbone area and send it up in the air. I got lucky in that I sent it straight into a building, so I didn't have to worry too much about crushing the skull or anything. The building handled it for me.

"So, I apologize for whatever trauma I just inflicted on you two," I said, dismounting. The woman and the little girl stared at me like I was a hallucination. I realized after a moment that I knew the woman. It was the mother. "Hello again, ma'am. I had a hood last time, but-"

"No, I recognize your voice," she whispered. And she smiled right at me, uncaring of my hair and eyes. "How did…? Ah, my son? How is he?"

"Last I saw, trying to fight some soldier to get back here, but they have him. He's safe." I crouched down and ruffled the little girl's hair to reassure her. The little girl smiled tentatively at me. "Okay. We're going to try and get you two out of here. I don't know where or how, but…" There had to be something. And I would find it.

"Awesome, you found a couple." Kas trotted over, with two teenagers, both girls, following behind him. A little boy and a little girl were riding on Pallas. "These two told me that there weren't a lot of people, so this might actually be all of them," he explained. I tried to not wince because it was so small, but… "Most people had evacuated south when the army stationed near. So, let's find a path."

"Shame we left without Nike or Kratos," I murmured. They'd find us soon enough, though. They always did, no matter how far we were. "Whatever. We'll have a hard enough time with just this group, so we'll get moving." I did want to look more, but you couldn't save everyone. But you had to save those you could. "Okay, let's get this little one on Styx and-"

A revenant suddenly burst out of a nearby house, shattering the door. Before any of us could react, though, it was decapitated, and I had to blink a few times to confirm I wasn't hallucinating Urien being there on his horse. And a quick look showed it wasn't just him. Grado thundered up on his own horse not long afterwards, followed by Latona, who quickly dismounted to check over our little group of survivors, making sure none had hidden injuries.

"I think it's telling that when we said that you two went to the town, absolutely _no one_ among the desert people was surprised," Grado noted dryly, looking right at Kas and me. We just shrugged. "And what do you know? There's people alive. That's rare."

"Sometimes, you just have to take the gamble," Kas replied, completely unrepentant. He rested a hand on Latona, and made sure to smile at her in thanks. "Anyway, most of the town left already, so this is probably it. We need a way out, though."

"Valni should… there she is." Grado waved, and I saw Valni arc down from the skies, landing her pegasus on the roof of the building behind us. "Is there a path?"

"If we're quick, then yeah," she replied breathlessly. She was panting heavily, as was her pegasus. They'd rushed. They'd rushed here. "I think between all of us, we can make it? Maybe? And I can confirm that all living beings are right here."

"We're going to give it our best damn effort," I replied, helping the little girl up onto Styx. With this many horses, all of us could ride… "Hey, Valni, can you take any?"

"One teen, or two littles. Easy."

"Get down here, then."

It didn't take us long to get all the civilians on mounts, and with Valni's help, we made it out of the city with relative ease, with only a few fights. We broke through in a very different direction than the camp, but it soon became quite clear why Valni had chosen to lead us this way. Not only were the enemies sparse, but it led to a little gorge, with a rickety bridge joining the two sides. Sadly, a bit too rickety. It held up for Latona and Grado, but when Urien rode across, it splintered and fell apart. Probably had been long rotting due to disuse. Not many traveled these days, and it probably hadn't even been made for horses in the first place.

"Well, this is fun," I sighed, glancing at Kas. He shrugged, looking ready to laugh. The gorge wasn't large, thankfully. "Hey, Valni? Can you get the kids?"

"I can find another path," Valni commented, swooping near to get them. Kas and I had one each, both of the little girls, so it was easy to get them settled. They knew they needed to cooperate too. "So, don't do anything…"

"Relax. This'll just be easier if they were safe." Kas and I turned Pallas and Styx around, and I thought I heard protests. It was surprising how they hadn't guessed what we'd do. _Really_ surprising. "One… two…"

On a silent 'three', both Styx and Pallas charged forward, with Kas and me bent low. They easily cleared the jump, galloping forward to bleed off momentum. Then they slowed to a stop and Kas and I looked at the others, both of us continuing to be amused. While petting our horses because they were simply the best.

"You seriously didn't consider us jumping?" Kas asked dryly. The others had the good-humor to be sheepish. "Whatever. Valni, we'll take the girls back. Let's get out of here before they decide to send out flying demons."

We did it. I was tempted to be smug, but I knew how lucky we got. So, instead, I was just happy. We did it.

* * *

We rode until we were all too tired to ride anymore, which was sometime after the sun rose. It was a bit difficult to gauge its height, both due to exhaustion and because we had quickly escaped into a forest to better hide from any potential pursuers. It wasn't easy on the horses, or Valni's pegasus, but safety was more important than 'ease' at the moment. Still, it was a relief to find a set of caves devoid of all animals. It meant that we could rest. The survivors all passed out immediately, drained from their near-death-experience and our flight from their fallen home. And though we were tempted to join them, there were things to do. Valni left to see if she could gauge where the army was, and the rest of us hashed out a watch list and made a fire to keep warm.

"Hey, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, but what are you all doing here?" Kas asked softly. Now that we were safe, everything was catching up. We all ached and were exhausted, so we lounged around the fire, eager for the warmth and enjoying the rest. "I mean…"

"Going to be honest in that I just followed Urien," Grado answered with a shrug. Urien focused on tucking a blanket around the three sleeping children and didn't comment. "Latona followed me, I think."

"You and Urien both," she confirmed, feeding another stick to the fire. It 'popped' and crackled, content with the additional 'meal'. "Why wouldn't I follow you two? You're my first friends."

"So, there's us two. I've seen Valni fly over towns before, so I think she was just did that as normal. Urien…" He looked pointedly at Urien, who just as pointedly ignored him. "He's keeping silent. Maybe you'll have more luck."

"Meh, I suppose it doesn't matter, since it would've been a lot harder without you guys," Kas dismissed with a shrug. I had to admit to being super curious, though. "So, my guess is that we'll try to meet up with the main army?"

" _Try_ being the operative word there," Valni sighed, walking back inside. She looked around for a place to sit, but noticing how tired she was, I silently waved her over and made her lay down with her head in my lap. "Okay, this is _suuuuper_ comfy, and I think I'm going to steal your legs at some point." She paused and frowned. "Wait, that sounded weird."

"Please don't cut off Eve's legs. She will turn around and whack you with them."

"You make me sound so violent," I whined, sulking at him. Kas just grinned. "Regardless, Valni, you have to compete with Myrrh for my lap, but you are more than welcome to rest here if you need it." Valni smiled sleepily at that. "So, I do think we need some water and-"

Twin red-tail hawk calls cut me off, and Kas and I automatically raised our arms. The others frowned at us in confusion, but then Kratos and Nike flew in to land on them with practiced ease. Nike promptly jumped up to my shoulder to fluff her feathers right in my face before keening and rubbing her head against my cheek. I knew Kratos was doing a similar thing with Kas. Bia and Zelus flew in not long afterwards, and Zelus dropped a piece of paper in my hand before flying to my unoccupied shoulder to 'peck'-preen my hair. I'd worried him, so I let him get away with it and instead focused on the note, reading it quickly. ' _This better reach you two idiots. You two are the worst. At least get me next time, damn it! -Love, Raphaela'._

"Does anyone have paper or pen?" I asked, passing the note to Kas. He took one look at it and burst into laughter. When Urien sat down next to him, he handed it over, because it wasn't a secret or anything. "We can all sign it and send it back so that they know we're alive."

"If the hawks made it here, then they have to be close, right?" Latona asked, even as she pulled paper and pen out of her pack. Valni sat up to sign her name at the bottom, and handed it to me for the actual 'note' part. "Or… wait, how fast do they travel?"

"Raphaela probably sent the message out while still in the camp, or when they first stopped. We can gauge based on how long it takes to get a reply." I quickly wrote down that we were fine, and had saved survivors, and passed it over to Kas for him to add his own words. He almost didn't, but I looked at him sternly until he did. "Anyway, what I was saying before our loving and amazing hawks arrived… Nike, I need to talk!" Nike fluffed out her feathers more and continued making things difficult. Zelus, meanwhile, was slowly pulling out my bun. "Okay, I get it! You're mad!"

"Do… do you need help?"

"They're just getting revenge." But I did manage to cup Nike's head and tuck her under my chin instead. "You'll see that Kratos and Bia are giving Kas similar treatment." They waited until he passed the note over to Urien, of course, but he had two hawks all over his face at the moment. "Anyway, water. I'd like to get some water for everyone."

"Oh, yes, that's a good idea. After some rest, we can forage as well." Latona jumped when Kas suddenly yelped and fell over. "Uh…"

"Ignore it. It's fine. And if you want to laugh, do so quietly. People are sleeping."

Valni and Grado did actually laugh, with both muffling the sound quickly. Latona was too busy fretting, especially when I 'accidentally' urged Nike and Zelus over to Kas so that I could grab everyone's waterskins and escape. Urien joined me, probably because it was dangerous to go alone and the others were occupied. Still, it was a bit awkward, since I'd yelled at him and then he'd come to help me. It made me all the more curious, especially since he must've left soon after me to arrive when he had. And when we finally found a stream and filled up the skins, I couldn't keep my curiosity in check anymore.

"Why _did_ you follow us?" I asked softly, making sure to look at him. I tucked the filled waterskins under my arms to not drop them. "If it's embarrassing or something, you don't have to answer, but…"

"It's that argument," he answered easily, meeting my gaze without hesitation. I still wasn't used to outsiders doing that. "You asked what I was fighting for? The answer is because I don't know another life." Urien smiled sadly at me. "I have lived in this army for most of my life. Abandoning camps, seeing the dead pile up, watching illnesses ravage soldiers, listening to the wailing of the pained… I'm used to all of it. That's why my father's death doesn't bother me. By the time I was five, I had seen hundreds die. I saw many of them reanimate and have to be killed again."

"That's…"

"But when you screamed that, it just…" He trailed off, trying to piece together his thoughts. "It made me realize… or remember… that there are people who fight for a purpose. Who fight for a cause. Who fight for people. The life that is my normal isn't your normal. I don't question having to abandon everything, including people. I've done it more times than I will ever be able to count. You, however, find the concept so abhorrent that the suggestion causes you to bristle up like a hissing cat." He laughed softly and shrugged. "So, I guess I just wanted to see? I think that's the best way to describe it. I wanted to see what you would do, and if you really could save them."

"...We wouldn't have gotten all of them without your help." I made sure to smile my warmest smile, even if my heart ached. He had told me that he'd lived with the army since he was little, but it never occured to me how he'd know no life _but_ a constantly losing war. "I might have only gotten one. Which, honestly, would've been enough for me, but it's nice to get more out."

"It was dangerous. Why did you try?"

"Because there was a chance. I needed to see how good of a chance it was."

"You…" He laughed again, shaking his head. "You are so weird."

"You all are the weird ones, in my opinion."

"I suppose that makes sense." He stiffened suddenly and whirled to look at some nearby shrubbery. Which was rustling. "Please just be a squirrel or something."

"What's a…?" The memory came back after a moment. "Ah, never mind. Probably is, but here." I handed him the waterskins I'd been holding. "Let's see…" And, probably stupidly, I crept over and pushed away some of the leaves. "He-"

"Found you!" And freaking Myrrh popped out of the bushes with a bright grin. I could only stare in shock. "I found you!" she repeated gleefully, rushing over to hug me. "Yay!"

"Myrrh, how the hell did you…?" I breathed, kneeling down to look at her. "I told you to stay with Raphaela."

"You did, but when we stopped running, Raphaela said I could go wherever I wanted." She grinned and I facepalmed. I knew that Raphaela had meant 'within the camp', but… "So, here I am!"

"Here you are." I sighed and almost began scolding, but then I realized something. Urien hadn't said anything, and when I looked back, he was staring wide-eyed at Myrrh. No, at her _wing_ , because her cloak was caught in the thorns and had been pulled half-off, so one of her wings was on full display. I quickly covered it, but since I knew it was too late to make up an excuse, I focused on picking leaves out of Myrrh's hair and clothes, not sure what… or how…

"Myrrh…?" Urien finally began slowly. I tensed up, wondering just what I'd have to do. I would keep her safe, of course, but… "This is an odd question, but are you a demon?"

"I'm a dragon!" Myrrh corrected with a pout. She almost unfurled her wings, but I kept the cloak down to bind them. "Dragon!"

"And dragons are not a type of demon?"

"Dragons are dragons. Demons are demons." She shrugged and tugged on my sleeve. Automatically, I picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. "Demons are bad things. They hurt us too. They killed…" Myrrh teared up and some tears slipped down her face. "My mama and papa… they…"

"Ah, easy, easy…!" Urien used his sleeve to wipe the tears away. "I'm sorry. I'm just confused. That's all. But I suppose it's not _that_ much different than the desert people, right? Or… well… uh..." He floundered a bit for words, and I did have to smile at the awkwardness. "Whatever. You've always had wings?"

"Well, when I was born, I didn't. They were under my skin and burst out later when they grew too big." She frowned, and I tried to not think of how painful that had to have been. "Oh, but there were there, so maybe that's a 'yes'?"

"You've had them the whole time you've been with us."

"Yep!" She grinned. "Evelyn helps me keep them clean! It's hard."

"I… I see…" Urien looked half-ready to faint, but he focused on me. "So… uh… that's why she takes baths alone?"

"Yes," I replied, clutching her protectively. He seemed to be taking things relatively well, but I still had to be wary. "Her parents had them too. Myrrh said that the demons had kidnapped her, which was why she and her parents were in the desert. And, you know, since she has more intelligence than a rock…"

"Well, there's humans and demons. Bunches of animals. Be a bit stupid to not think there are other species. I mean; I still think Kasimir is pulling my leg with those 'hippo' stories. But, you know, there's squirrels and hawks and..." Urien sighed and, finally, ruffled Myrrh's hair. "Never mind. Rambling. Secret still. Latona might be a good person to tell. What if she gets injured?"

"Er… that's a good point." I did worry about telling others, but if Myrrh got badly hurt, then I _would_ need a healer's help. "Perhaps in a few days."

"Sounds good." Urien grinned. "Now to see everyone's reactions to her being here."

"Oh joy." I shifted her better on my hip and held out a hand for the waterskins, but Urien shook his head. "She's not that heavy."

"I'm sure she'll feel better if you hugged her while you carried her, though." His grin softened to a warm smile. "I know I did, whenever I was separated from my father."

"...Thank you."

Myrrh actually dozed off while we hiked back to the cave, sleeping now that she felt safe. When we arrived, Kas, with his hair all messed up, was waiting for us. He took one look at Myrrh, rolled his eyes, and deadpanned, "we are never leaving her with other people again. They clearly can't keep an eye on her at all." He sighed and headed back in. "I guess we'll write and tell them that she's with us too. Make room for one more, guys."

This was going to be an interesting few days… weeks… however long it took. Very interesting.

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn; Eve_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapons: Lance_

 _Known among the desert folk for never leaving people behind and being the first to leap into danger if she thinks someone needs help. It worries those around her, including Ishmael, but she does at least try to keep smart about it._

 _Is utterly flabbergasted at how attached Myrrh is to her and Kas, and desperately hopes that she's strong enough to keep her safe. Especially since they have an entire group of noncombatants to take care of now_

 _Kasimir; Kas_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword_

 _Well known for being willing to gamble even on a one-percent chance, especially if lives are at stake. Ishmael has actually had talks with him about it, in the hopes of making sure Kas didn't just throw his life away._

 _Didn't want to write the note because he knew Raphaela would sigh over it, but does agree with Evelyn that he owed it to her for worrying her. He's just really tired of being sought after when he's already made it clear where he stands._

 _Raphaela_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapon: Dark Magic_

 _Almost yelled at the other soldiers for not keeping a better eye on Kasimir and Evelyn but remembered in time that they didn't know about Kasimir and Evelyn's tendency to rush into danger when they thought people were in danger. So, instead, she just grumbled to herself for not making sure she stayed close_

 _Panicked when Myrrh disappeared, and was relieved when the notes came both about them all being okay and that Myrrh was with them. She thinks that Myrrh just flew off, since that's not something most people account for._

 _Myrrh_

 _4(?) years old_

 _Found Evelyn and Kasimir by following their hearts' 'songs', flying away when the army made their first stop after abandoning the camp. She's still confused about what she did wrong, but does understand that it made Evelyn and Kasimir worry, so she tries to make them feel better_

 _At first was confused as to why Evelyn was worried about Urien finding out, because Urien's 'song' is kind and gentle like theirs, but then remembered that humans can't hear those songs. Now she's just confused about how humans know who is a nice person and who isn't._

 _ **Army**_

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _Has known nothing but war and battle, particularly losing battles. His home village was actually far to the north, near the mountains, but he doesn't remember anything about it. 'Home' was haphazard camps with crumpled tents._

 _Really startled by Myrrh's wings, and wonders what the hell dragons are. Sadly, Myrrh's answer is simply 'dragons are dragons', so he knows that he'll be wondering for a while now._

 _Valni, Lieutenant-General_

 _18 years old_

 _Weapons: Lance_

 _Despite the official orders, she always flies over nearby towns in the hopes of finding someone alive that she can help. Unfortunately, until this time, that never happened. She was surprised to see the others, since she was the only one who did this, but grateful. Seeing lives saved gives her a bit of hope._

 _Bit surprised that Evelyn let her rest in her lap, since that's normally a really intimate thing, but based on how Kas reacted, she's fairly certain it's just a normal thing among the desert folk. Which she isn't complaining about because Evelyn is comfy._

 _Grado, Lieutenant-General_

 _22 years old_

 _Weapons: Axe_

 _Followed Urien because he considers Urien one of his greatest friends, right up there with Tobias. The two have known each other since Grado joined, and had to work frequently together due to Grado's diplomacy and Urien essentially being Mikhail's right hand._

 _Bit surprised Urien left, since Urien normally follows orders no matter what, but he doesn't say anything. He's actually glad that Urien bent the rules a bit, because he's long been worried about his friend's mental health._

 _Latona, Healer_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Staff_

 _When she first joined, most didn't want anything to do with her because of her reputation. Urien was the first one in the army to smile and welcome her, while Grado always laughed off her supposed reputation, even suggesting that maybe she lived because the gods loved her so. She finds it ridiculous, but finds comfort in the thought and their company_

 _Grado was the one who taught her how to ride, and though she primarily works in the infirmary like most healers, the ability to ride does give her a versatility that the other healers lack, since she can reach wounded quickly and keep up with the cavalry if needed._

* * *

Author's notes: And look, someone else is in the know about Myrrh not being human. There's nothing in lore mentioning that manakete wings burst out of their back as they age or whatever. I made that up. Same for how the monsters were made. The mention of hidden treasure is a nod to how _many_ desert maps in the Fire Emblem series have secret items.

Next Chapter - Shelter


	5. Chapter 5) Shelter

Chapter 5) Shelter

* * *

 _The camp was overrun. The town was overrun. Such things are apparently so normal that no one was surprised and only Valni, who has spent the least amount of time in the army aside from Kas and me, is anything but resigned about it. What sort of craziness was this? Being used to abandoning your 'home'? Constantly having to fall back?_

 _This war has been lost for ages. Why didn't they try to reach us for help sooner? Why didn't we…?_

* * *

Over the next few days, we slowly rode through the woods, taking our best guess as to where to go. There had been no reply to Bia or Zelus yet, so we had to assume that the army was a good distance away. So, for now, we just did what we could. Ride, take care of each other, take care of the civilians whose names I always forgot because damn was I ever bad with names… just what we could.

"Is it uncomfortable riding, Myrrh?" Urien asked, keeping his voice quiet. Ever since Urien learned about Myrrh's wings, he had been extra careful with how she was doing, which he explained away as 'knowing what it was like to be a child in an army'. He made sure to be attentive to the other children as well to hide it. "You should say something if so."

"No, I'm good!" Myrrh chirped, grinning. She liked having the extra attention, and I did have to admit that it was a relief to have at least two more people knowing the secret. It made me feel like we had a better chance of keeping her safe. "Styx is super sweet, though she thinks she's going to kick Grado's horse."

"Is it because his horse keeps trying to 'court' her?"

"Yep, and she is _not_ interested. Though she uses weird words for it. Something like-"

"Styx, she's a baby," I gasped, reaching around to lightly hit Styx's neck. Styx tossed her head back, like she was laughing. "I am _not_ having that conversation with a baby!"

"What conversation?" Myrrh asked, looking up at me curiously. I could only groan in response, really not wanting to get into it. "Styx says your reaction is everything she could've wanted, by the way."

"I'm so pleased to be thoroughly played by my own horse." I rolled my eyes and waved away Valni's weird look, who shrugged. Urien and I were in the back, while Kas and Latona led. Grado and Valni were in the middle, walking their mounts alongside the civilians who were tired of riding. And in the middle because it was theoretically safest. Or something. I had no freaking clue. "So pleased."

"It's fascinating how much gossip you pick up from animals," Urien noted, with a small smile and laugh. I wasn't sure if he really believed Myrrh or not, but he at least pretended to. "I never knew how much they saw."

"I have to sort of translate it, and it depends on the animals," Myrrh explained. She then huffed, sulking at something. "Chickens are _stuuuuupid_."

"Are they? Or do you just have difficulty understanding them?"

"...Uh…."

"There are many who are very intelligent, but their intelligence is in different things, and so, they appear to be less capable than they really are." Urien grinned. "Take Grado, for instance. Despite the fancy upbringing, he can't spell worth a damn. But he is _brilliant_ at negotiations. If we come across another group of people to integrate, you'll see that. There's also Latona, who only recently learned how to read, but can recognize over a thousand different plants and remember all of their medicinal uses."

"So…" She frowned, clearly thinking, and I had to smile at how seriously she was taking this little lesson. "So, chickens might not be 'stupid', but smart in a way that I don't know?"

"That's exactly right."

"Oooohhhh…"

"I heard my name back there!" Grado called, stopping his conversation with Valni to look back at us. He even grinned. "What are you three gossiping about?"

"I used you as an example of a person who can come off as dumber than they are," Urien replied instantly, laughing when Grado yelped. Myrrh just giggled, and I ducked my head to hide my smile. "It was a good lesson!"

"I'm _so_ pleased to hear that!"

"I'm sure!" Urien laughed, and then focused on me. "Ah, but I did have a question for you, Evelyn?"

"Oh?" I replied, curious. I assumed it would be some sort of culture thing. "What is it?"

"I didn't ask at the time, because things were odd…" he began, speaking carefully. Like he was afraid of offending me. "Before, when we found Myrrh, you didn't seem to know what a squirrel was?"

"Well…" I tried to think of how to answer, and decided that, given how I knew a good bit of his past and given how he came after me even though I'd yelled at him, I should… "Hmm…" I held up a finger, silently telling him to wait, and then called out to Kas. "You can stop with the jealous looks, dearest brother! If you want a hug from Myrrh too, you just have to ask!"

"Eh? Kasimir wants hugs?" Myrrh gasped, before almost getting off. I stopped her before she could. "Kasimir! I'll hug you too!"

"Well, aren't I lucky?" Kas laughed, urging his horse back to be level with me. He picked up Myrrh easily and she hugged him, giggling. "Ah, my day just got so much brighter. How about you come with me to talk to Latona? I'm sure she's bored with me."

"You're not boring, though?" Myrrh frowned at him. "Oh, story! I want a story!"

"A story, huh? Yes, that sounds good." Kas glanced at me, smiling slightly in a 'tell me later' sort of way, and had Pallas trot up to the front again, where Latona waited for them with a smile. "How about I tell you of-?"

"Tell her the story of how you didn't pay attention and hitched a ride on a croc!" I teased, grinning. Kas looked back just to roll his eyes and then pointedly ignored me. "Wasn't allowed to get water from the Vrep for a month!"

"The Vrep?" Urien asked curiously. I used the reins and my knees to urge Styx to slow down just a little bit. "What's the Vrep?"

"The Vrep is the river that crosses through the desert, and I'm sure other lands as well." I smiled, closing my eyes as I could easily picture it. "Every year, it overflows the banks, you see, probably from the spring-melt and all or something, and it deposits a lot of silt and the like." I opened my eyes again to look at him. "We depend on that flooding for growing crops, and it's also our primary source of water. It's the Vrep that led to the ancient kingdom of the desert, and its the Vrep that allows Zada to continue to thrive."

"That's amazing…" His eyes sparkled, and for a moment, I was startled because I never saw him so eager before. "And these crocs?"

"Short for crocodile. If you've had some of the jerky in our stuff, you've eaten it." I grinned. "It is an aquatic reptile, and it can get _big_!" I held my arms out in an approximation, and his jaw dropped from shock. "They tend to just bask in the sun and shallows, constantly aware of their surroundings, and they're very deft and agile swimmers if motivated. And fast. Way faster than a human."

"And I'm assuming quite dangerous?"

" _All_ animals are dangerous. Nike, for instance, can claw my eyes out if she wanted to." Of course, she wouldn't, but that was way beside my point. "But yes, they can be quite dangerous. We have makeshift barriers set up to make gathering water easier. And, occasionally, you get little idiots, like my brother, who venture too far into the waters and accidentally rile them up." I sighed gustily. "Of course, that paled in comparison to when he got bit by a black mamba."

"A what?"

"It's a type of venomous snake. Can kill you in twenty minutes if you don't get treatment." I shuddered, remembering. That had been a nightmare and a half. Worse was that Kas had been saving Raphaela from it. Swore that was when her crush started. "There's a _lot_ of animals that live in the desert, you know."

"But not squirrels."

"Not that I've seen!" Though I laughed, I couldn't help but become sad as I thought of what I'd next say. "It's been ten years, give or take, since Kas and I have been outside the desert. So, I haven't seen one in ten years either."

"Ten years?" He looked startled. "Why would…?" He trailed off, looking at my hair. "Um…"

"...There used to be seven of us." I spoke softly, looking down at Styx's mane. "Our parents, of course. Liane and Rachel, our older sisters. Kas was the first boy, the middle child. I was born after him. And Oliver was the baby of the family." Even after so long, I could still see them so clearly. And their deaths so clearly. "Mom, Kas, and I had the red hair and red eyes. Liane had red eyes. Dad, Rachel, and Oliver had blonde hair and green eyes. We were a loud, but happy, family."

"But then they died."

"Yeah, the dead rose. Or maybe they had already been there. I don't know. The village was by the Darkling Woods, always a little isolated." That reminded me. I needed to tell Latona this too. Because it only felt 'fair' if I did. "The other villagers killed everyone else. Hit Dad over the head until his head burst open. Beat Mom to death. Never saw how Liane or Rachel died, though. They had shoved Kas, Oliver, and me into a small closet." I could hear them. I could hear those last words. Their reassuring, tearful smiles and their words. 'Love you lots and lots and lots!' Then the door had closed and… "Heard their screams. And, when the neighbors were done, they set the house on fire."

"On _fire_?"

"That's what you do to demons and their children, right? You burn them." I smiled sardonically, unable to help it. "Kas and I had run, holding Oliver's hands. But he dropped his favorite blanket, and went back for it. Of course he did. He was only four, after all." My heart keened, remembering those dreadful seconds. "The roof collapsed on him."

"That's…"

"Kas and I hid in the woods until the fires were gone, and then we crawled back, wondering if anyone was alive. And the villagers were shifting through the rubble, counting bodies and making sure they were dead. And when they saw us, they tried to shoot us. Stab us. So we ran. We ran and ran. Ended up in the desert, and never left." I shrugged. "Which was why Kas and I didn't give a damn about anything here. And why we never knew how bad it was. If Kas and I had truly understood, I think we would've at least tried to have been more cooperative at the beginning. Maybe." I made a face. "That whole 'treason' thing really bothered us."

"There's a reason why Mikael doesn't normally handle negotiations." Urien sighed mournfully, shuddering. "Gods, I hope he hasn't kicked his teeth out with the foot in his mouth."

"I'd be more worried about Raphaela kicking them out for him."

"Yikes, that's a mental image." He smiled briefly before looking at me sadly. "I'm sorry for your loss. That was ten years ago?"

"Give or take, yes."

"It's about eleven or twelve since the dead openly started fighting us, so…" He bit his lip, probably about to say 'makes sense'. Except nothing about it actually made _sense_. Just the timing worked out. "Of course, we're pretty certain we've been unofficially fighting them for much longer. Particularly the ambushes that overran the camps. Retrospectively and all."

"Your father was the leader of the army, right? I remember hearing that."

"He was a general for the… uh… whatever the old country was called. And he was one of the first to realize what was going on. So, he began gathering people and… well…" He shrugged, laughing softly. "He ended up as the leader of the mess. Mikael used to laugh about it, until it became his job."

"And how _did_ it become his job? Besides your dad dying, I mean."

"Despite the total lack of tact, he's a good leader and he's a good tactician. Both were more important than diplomacy, with the enemy bearing down on us." Urien sighed, however, and looked up at the leaves above us, which blocked out the sky. "Buys us more time, that way."

"I… see…" I studied him closely and found myself wondering something. "Urien, do you really think this war will end?"

"...I don't know." He smiled sadly at the leaves, not looking at me. "I'd like it to end. I've always been curious of the more peaceful times that Mikael occasionally mentions. But most days, I'm not sure we have anything but slaughter and carnage, and the laughter of gods who bathe and dance in the fallen blood."

"That's descriptive." I smiled, as if he said a joke. He looked at me oddly. "You should take up poetry."

"If I do, I'm inflicting it on you."

"Go ahead. I've gotten bad poetry before."

"How bad?"

"Well…"

We actually ended up having to stop because the descriptions of just how bad the poetry was made poor Urien laugh so hard that he fell out of the saddle. Which frightened the rest until Kas overheard what we'd been talking about, at which point he threw in the bad poetry _he_ had gotten in the past. Then everyone was laughing, a much needed sound. Since Kas and I were the reason why most of them were here, we might as well give them what laughter we could.

* * *

"Interesting… her back muscles are lined up differently, no doubt for the wings," Latona murmured, carefully prodding Myrrh's back. As Urien had suggested, I told Latona about Myrrh and her wings. Amusingly, and heartwarmingly, Latona's first reactions were 'Oh gods, are there things she is not able to eat?' and 'are there medicines that do not work?'. "Does it hurt here?"

"Nope!" Myrrh reassured, giggling. Latona was giving her a full examination, to learn what was Myrrh's 'normal'. Which Myrrh didn't mind because it meant she didn't have to deal with the cloak. Or her dress for now. "All good!"

"I see…" Latona frowned, paying close attention to where the wings met skin. I pulled the flap of Latona's tent a little more closed when I heard people passing. That was 'my' job, mainly: making sure that no one who didn't know about Myrrh's wings came in. "There is a bit of scarring near the wing itself…?"

"That's from where it burst out from my back! There was blood everywhere!"

"Goodness!" Latona's eyes went as wide as plates. "That must've hurt…"

"No, not really." Myrrh frowned curiously, thinking. "Papa said that babies don't get a sense of pain until after their wings come out. Mama had to carry me around all the time so that I wouldn't hurt myself."

"I see. Mmm… and I imagine being born with wings like this would be difficult for your mama…" Latona suddenly frowned. "Or… wait, Myrrh, were you a live birth or were you born in an egg? Like a bird? Oh, no, never mind. That's not important. I think." Despite the rambling, she continued prodding Myrrh, finding a few ticklish spots. "Myrrh, you're not going through puberty or anything, are you?"

"What's puberty?"

"Never mind. You definitely aren't." She breathed a sigh of relief and then snapped her fingers and looked at me. "That reminds me. Valni is on her period and she's only got a couple of pads. Do you have extra, by chance?"

"Yeah, I'll give her some when we're done," I reassured, mentally calculating. I was on mine as well, but I should have enough. I was always paranoid and kept extras even when I _wasn't_ on my period. "You need any?"

"No, I just finished mine, thankfully. But, unfortunately, I don't carry them if I don't, to resist the urge to use them for bandaging." Latona made a face. "There's not enough for that."

"...Desert supplies should have a bunch, and if not, I am writing to send them because screw not having enough for that." Wasn't like we could help it, damn it! "Anyway, how is she?"

"Well, I'm having to make assumptions since I don't know dragon physiology at all, but as near as I can tell, she's in perfect health." Latona hugged Myrrh and helped her get her dress back on. I then walked over to get the cloak on. "All done, Myrrh!"

"Thank you!" Myrrh laughed, turning so that she could smile at Latona. And twist her cloak around, but I fixed it well enough. "I don't know why the people at camp are so mean to you. The song in your heart is super pretty and kind, even if it _is_ a little sad. But it's pretty and I like it almost as much as I like you."

"Myrrh…" Latona breathed. She actually teared up at that and smiled. "Oh, Myrrh, that's so sweet…"

"Hmm? Why?" Myrrh tilted her head slightly. "It's the truth?"

"Still…"

"It's a very good truth, and one I happen to agree with." Kas's voice announced his presence just before he drummed his fingers on the flap as his knock. "Hey, all good in here?" he asked. Checking that Myrrh's dress and cloak were on, I undid the ties to let the flap hang open. "Taking that as a yes." Kas grinned and Myrrh rushed over to give him a big hug. "Yep, that's a yes." He scooped her up easily, kissing her cheek, and then smiled at Latona. "Sierra would agree as well, by the way. She enjoys your company, though she's not sure how to express it anymore."

"I can see that," I replied, smiling. It would do Sierra good to make some new friends, and Latona would probably blossom from it as well. "Sierra only makes an effort to talk to people she likes. She's very shy and self-conscious."

"She's wonderful, so I'm glad she likes me," Latona whispered, beaming. She still looked like she was about to cry, and my heart ached for how lonely she must've been. In Zada, we all made an effort to make sure no one felt _lonely_. "Ah, is that three hawks I see?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes," Kas confirmed. I half-turned and saw Bia happily eating a mouse next to Kratos and Nike. "Bia just returned with a letter."

"They're still looking for a secure area to make a new camp-camp, but with us confirmed alive, the army suffered no casualties," Grado explained, walking over with a small piece of paper in hand. I looked around our little camp and saw Valni and Urien with the civilians (names, names… why were names so difficult?!), preparing dinner and whatnot. "Here, take a look."

"Just as good is that no supplies were left or anything, so food is still good and all." Kas shifted Myrrh a little bit higher to get a better grip, and Myrrh looked between us curiously, with a sweet smile. "So, aside from the line falling back, there's been no _big_ loss."

"Which is a damn miracle, and I am very grateful because those horses you desert folk brought seemed to be what let everyone get out quickly." Grado grinned, glancing over at Kas. "How did they get to be so fast?"

"Oh, no, you want _her_ for that." Kas pointed to me. "Evelyn is the one who knows the animal stuff."

"That's because while Ishmael was training you to take over for him, he taught _me_ how to help the breeders for the horses and the hawks," I reminded him with a laugh. Kas rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at me. "So…"

"Wait, but I thought Raphaela was his daughter?" Grado asked curiously. He focused his attention on me then, and Kas read the letter over Latona's shoulder, the two quietly conversing about it. "Can women not inherit or something?"

"Of course women can. Ishmael inherited from his mother." I shrugged, crossing my arms and shifting my weight a bit to ease the ache in my feet. "Raphaela, however, doesn't want to inherit. She doesn't think she's suited for it, being too impatient and the like. Now, it's possible that in a few years, she'll mellow out, but as it stands, she's stated, repeatedly, that the mantle of leadership should go to someone else."

"Ah, I see. So personal preference is also taken into account." Grado nodded before grinning again. "So? The horses?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes." I hummed a bit, trying to remember those lessons. "The main thing is selective breeding, really. This particular breed of horses is super old, three thousand years old or more if you believe the stories. So, that's the main reason, really. It's also why they're super alert, quick to learn, willing to please…" I looked over to where Styx was tied up next to Pallas, happily grazing on some grass. "Their key characteristic is endurance, though. And their intelligence."

"I see. So, it's no trick of training."

"Nope, but you do have to be careful!" I laughed, thinking of how my early days with Styx were like. "They don't tolerate abuse, and they pick up _bad_ habits as easily as they pick up good habits." I shrugged, smiling. "That said, if you want, when we're back with the army, I can get some of the other trainers and see about training your horses as well. Might be good for learning strategies together, though not a lot of us fight while mounted. Sands were too unstable for that."

"Sounds good!" Grado laughed, clearly delighted. "Hey, can you explain how exactly your hawks can even find you?"

"Hmm? Ah, well, there's a few stories about that, actually…"

I ended up telling everyone quite a few stories over dinner, in the middle of discussing just how we would start rejoining the army in the morning. Despite the small numbers, it actually felt like a typical dinner in Zada. ...If one ignored the humidity and mosquitoes and the like, that is.

* * *

During the middle of the night, Myrrh woke me up. On purpose, since she shook me. I yawned and pushed myself up, thinking that she just had to go to the bathroom and didn't want to walk through the dark alone. But she continued shaking me, and when I looked, she seemed afraid.

"Did you have a nightmare, Myrrh?" I asked softly, tugging her into a hug. Not very hard, since I tended to hug her while I slept anyway. "Bad dreams?"

"No, I heard something outside," Myrrh mumbled, tugging my sleeve now. She looked up at me entreatingly. "Can we make sure it's not something scary?"

"Nike and the hawks would let us know if it was something scary." Still, I was already grabbing our cloaks and pulling on my boots. I wouldn't change out of my sleeping clothes, of course, but if a little walk would reassure her, then there was no harm in it. "Come on. I'll show you."

"Okay…!"

I held Myrrh's hand as we walked around the camp, both the interior and the edge, and I made a point to show her how all three hawks were fast asleep, perfectly content in how safe we were. Valni, being on watch, looked at us weirdly, but I just pointed to Myrrh and she nodded, understanding that this was just something Myrrh needed at the moment, and didn't call out to us at all. Still, Myrrh was uneasy, so we continued walking, heading a bit away from the camp, and, eventually, we actually did find the likely source of the sound. Not far from our tent, still within sight of it actually, there was a large, sleek, black cat prowling, no doubt looking for a quick meal. Maybe a bird or something. And with the source discovered, Myrrh went from 'uneasy' to 'delighted' and immediately let go of my hand to chase after the cat. And I quickly followed to try and catch her because despite how Zada was, I knew that only idiots (or the highly trained) approached wild animals. It simply wasn't safe.

And it ended up not being safe, but for an entirely different reason than expected. While chasing the cat, the ground suddenly crumpled underneath us. As in we fell a very long way into a _giant freaking hole in the ground_. Because, of course, that made perfect sense!

"Ow…" I groaned, feeling like every bone in my body was bruised after landing. Pushing myself up into a seated position, I did a quick check to make sure nothing was outright broken, and then checked on Myrrh, who thankfully was right next to me. Though, her wings were out. "You okay?"

"I flew," Myrrh replied, flapping her wings for emphasis. I sighed in… I wasn't sure what I felt. Exasperation that I'd forgotten, but relief that she was okay. "Are you okay? You bounced a lot…"

"I'll be fine, I think." Since I was sure Myrrh was okay, I did a careful onceover, finding bruises, but nothing broken and nothing that suggested internal bleeding as of yet. "Bounced, huh?" I looked up and saw what she meant. Though I'd been too busy being in pain to notice, the hole wasn't straight up and down, but at a bit of an angle, so I'd 'bounced' and 'rolled' a lot more than simply fell. However, there was a problem with that. "There is no way in hell I can climb all the way up." And we were _quite_ a ways down. I could barely see the stars above. "I can't believe we fell into a hole."

"I'm sorry…" Myrrh drooped, wrapping her wings around her. "I just wanted to talk to the kitty…"

"Myrrh, this is far beyond what any of us could've expected." If not for the fact that it was a little off the 'path' we had been following, we could've camped on top of this! "Nike? You around?" My voice echoed a bit, but before long, Nike dove down through the hole and rested gently on my shoulder. "Hey there, sweetie.." I gently pet her feathers, and Nike preened a few leaves and sticks out of my hair. "Go let Kas know that we're fine, will you?" Nike took off again, straight up.

While I waited for some sort of response, I fixed Myrrh's cloak (just in case) and pulled her into my lap to hug her while I looked around. Interestingly, this wasn't just a simple hole or anything. It seemed I'd accidentally found an underground tunnel, and was currently seated where it had partially caved in, possibly why the ground above had been so unstable. Sadly, though, there didn't seem to be any convenient vines or roots or anything to use to climb up and, worse, I didn't think we actually had rope on us. Certainly not long enough rope.

Nike returned quickly, note and pen in talon. I took both, smiling when I saw Kas had written 'what the hell did you do?' and I used the back to jot down a basic summary of what exactly had happened and the current predicament. Making a quick decision, I also wrote that we would be walking down the tunnel to look for a way up and then I sent Nike back with the response. Myrrh clung to me while I waited for Kas's reply, which was a simple 'which way?' on a new slip of paper. After a moment of thought, I picked a direction and drew it for him. If one could call it a 'drawing', at least. It was a 'this side is top' and an arrow. When I sent Nike up, I stood up, wincing at every ache, and Myrrh immediately took my hand again. We only started walking when Nike returned, because there was no way I was venturing anywhere without her. Just in case.

"It's so dark…" Myrrh whispered as we walked, Nike riding on my shoulder. She clung to my hand tightly, shivering a bit. "Scary…"

"In a moment, your eyes will adjust," I reassured her, smiling. I wasn't sure if she saw it, but I hoped she sensed it anyway. "It's going to be fine. Worst case scenario, we just walk back and come up with a different plan." Well, that wasn't the _worst_ case by any means, but there was no need to scare her further.

"I shouldn't have chased the kitty."

"Well, yes, you shouldn't, but for a different reason. Wild animals aren't like Nike or Styx. You can frighten them, and they will attack you."

"...Oh, oops…"

"So, I'm glad we just fell down a hole. You're just fine."

"But you're hurt…"

"Don't fret about that, Myrrh. I've done worse to myself." Mostly through training too much, or doing something stupid like walking behind a horse and the horse not knowing it. Being kicked by a horse wasn't fun at all. "I'll get a full checkup with Latona, though, if it'll make you feel better."

"Please?"

"Of course."

We fell silent then, mostly because we had to focus on where we were stepping. There were rocks and the like, but surprisingly little plant life. I wouldn't have thought we were so deep that we couldn't see roots or anything, but then again, while I knew animals, I knew next to nothing about plants beyond some medicinal uses. How they were and everything? Way outside my realm of knowledge. And this was a cavern-tunnel thing. Stone. So, it was possible that they couldn't break through or something.

However, when we eventually reached an area with another hole in the ceiling, I saw something odd under the starlight. Stone. _Smooth_ stone. The type of stone that couldn't occur naturally. I tapped it to be certain, and it held.

"...People used to walk here," Myrrh whispered. She was looking at the stone as well, and as I slowly turned, I saw that the floor was also smooth stone. There were supporting pillars. "The people themselves are long, long gone. But their work endures."

"Seems so," I murmured, lifting a hand to Nike. She lightly nipped my finger before flying up to let Kas know where we were now. "I hope he sends paper again." Because this… this implied that there was a city or something nearby. "Myrrh, can you sense their ghosts or something?"

"Not exactly. I can just hear the lingering songs." Myrrh stepped a bit closer, clinging to my shirt. "They are faint, though. Faint, but here. Like someone calling in the distance."

"I see." There was something poetic about that. "Maybe they'll help us now." Even a ruined building would be good for camping. "Wouldn't that be fun? That their legacy would help future generations?"

Myrrh just clung to me tighter, looking sad for some reason. But I didn't have time to ask, really, as Nike returned, with paper and pen, and I both jotted down a note telling the others to keep an eye out for buildings of some kind. Then, when she returned, it was back to walking. But this time, I could see torch holders embedded into the walls. Rotten tapestries still clinging to their rusted nails. Rusted and tarnished helmets and weapons. And, before long, the ceiling opened up again, this time with a chipped, but stable, staircase. It led to a stone door that I had to practically punch in order to get it open, and flakes of rust rained down on both of us. But when Myrrh and I climbed out, I could only stare at the sight I saw.

It… it was a fort. A fort with weeds and vines and moss growing all over the stone. Stone as intact as the stone below. And the gates were made of metal and stone, so while the metal had rusted, the stone was still strong. And I walked around with Myrrh, wandering through the courtyard that was devoid of all animals. And none near, because Nike didn't go hunting, but remained on my shoulder. Everywhere I looked, I saw plants, rust, and stone that looked like it could withstand a hundred hits at least.

Kratos and Bia swooped near, letting me know that the others had caught up. But they were as silent as Myrrh and me. Kas hugged me soon after, but again, we were all silent. All of us stared, just not quite believing what we saw. Grado, Latona, and Urien were particularly dumbfounded, opening and closing their mouths like they _tried_ to say something, but awe stole their words.

"Holy hell…!" Valni's gasp caught our attention and we saw she had landed on the walls, looking at something. "Guys, get up here!" she insisted, waving us up even. "Come on! You have to see this!"

It took a bit, but we did find some stairs up onto the walls of the fort, and so, while the civilians rested by the packs and horses, we joined Valni and, as the sun slowly crested over the trees, we saw just what had shocked her so. This wasn't the only building. From up above, you could see other buildings, overgrown but likely intact based on what we could see, with a fairly large space where one could grow gardens and a large river cutting through the forest within very easy walking distance. This… this place could be a shelter for the army. A place to train. A place to live. A place to rest. Like Zada.

What sort of crazy luck was this?

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn; Eve_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapons: Lance_

 _Didn't used to like animals as a child, thinking they were too much work and the like. It was Ishmael who showed her the joys animals could bring, and also taught her how to respect their strengths._

 _She wishes this was the first time she got hurt and ended up finding something important, but it's actually happened a few times. Not the least being Ishmael finding them in the first place._

 _Kasimir; Kas_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword_

 _Not necessarily uncomfortable with the knowledge that everyone expects him to succeed Ishmael, mostly because he feels as if he won't do as good of a job as it. However, he can't stand disappointing people either, so he endures with a sigh and smile._

 _Nearly panicked when he learned Evelyn fell, terrified that he lost his sister. Latona helped him keep calm, though, letting him keep his head and think things through_

 _Myrrh_

 _4(?) years old_

 _Loves hugs and loves giving hugs. She especially likes the hugs she gets from Kasimir and Evelyn, because they always smell nice._

 _The fort is filled with quiet songs, whispering of people who stood proud and tall, once. Confused about what happened to them._

 _ **Army**_

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _Has a fascination with animals, mostly because he's not had much interaction with them. He knows horses, wyverns, and pegasi and… that's about it, really._

 _Confused as to how falling through a completely random hole in the ground led to the discovery of a fort. A fort he didn't know existed, and didn't think could exist because of how many forts were destroyed in the war_

 _Valni, Lieutenant-General_

 _18 years old_

 _Weapons: Lance_

 _Feels guilty about Evelyn and Myrrh falling, since she was on watch at the time. Still, seeing the find it led them to, she can't help but wonder if it was a good thing anyway_

 _Despite her noble background, she's actually a good cook, due to her best friend being the cook's daughter back at her home. Sadly, both her friend and the cook didn't survive her home's fall._

 _Grado, Lieutenant-General_

 _22 years old_

 _Weapons: Axe_

 _Really freaking confused about the fort, since it is way off the 'beaten path'. Way off. It makes no sense, but maybe that's why it survived when so many others hadn't_

 _Though he's not really much of an animal person, he is fascinated by how they are trained to work alongside humans, and is always eager to learn new techniques for that_

 _Latona, Healer_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Staff_

 _Seeing the find, she starts believing for the first time that maybe the gods are, in fact, trying to help them. Maybe. Big maybe._

 _Already plotting what medicinal herbs they can grow, possibly being able to keep a good supply for the first time… ever, in her experience._

* * *

Author's notes: Mmm… not really much to say here. Some character bonding, and the group finding a potential home for the army. And some history, I suppose. Nile crocodiles (which I used as the basis for the Vrep crocodiles) can swim more than three times as fast as a human at top speed.

Next Chapter - Fortress


	6. Chapter 6) Fortress

Chapter 6) Fortress

* * *

 _We found a fort. Well, more like I found a fort, after falling down a random hole in the ground because Myrrh wanted to talk to a wild animal. Already weird, but based on the others' comments, it's even weirder. Apparently, most forts have been battered and broken during the long years of war, no doubt on purpose to minimize safe places to hide. So, why was this one still here? Why was it remarkably intact? How did we end up finding it? Even after we sent off Bia to let the army know of the find, and Zelus returned with an answer to the previous message (about Myrrh being with us), those questions lingered._

 _Raphaela once joked that Kas and I could be 'unluckily lucky'. Things like this remind me why she said that._

* * *

I forgot how clingy plants and weeds could be. We had gardens and the like in Zada, of course, but the plants we had to cut away from the various buildings and walls felt less like 'plants' and more like… well…

"I feel like I'm skinning a croc, not clearing plants," I half-complained, tossing some vines over my shoulder. Fairly certain this was kudzu. We'd had some growing by the house, back when everyone was alive, and I vaguely remembered helping Dad cut them away. He had rattled off some of their uses, like erosion control and medicine. And Mom had used the fibers to make baskets, and used the roots to thicken sauces and the flowers to make jelly. Liane had used what was left for soaps and lotions… "Though I guess it smells better."

"That's a lovely comparison," Grado groaned. He and I were in the outer parts of the area, doing the first bits of cutting for the potential buildings here so that we could get to the foundations and figure out how viable the place was. "Wait, you skin them?"

"...Yes?" I frowned at him, stepping back to wipe the sweat off my face. "Be a waste to leave the rest and just eat the things? Most of the leather we have is from them, actually."

"Ah." It was difficult to tell if he was flushed from exertion, or from embarrassment. I was inclined to believe the latter because he wouldn't look at me. "So, does that happen with all hunted animals?"

"I… imagine so?" I started laughing when I pieced things together. "Where did you think fur came from? Or leather, for that matter?" He didn't answer, so I just kept on laughing. "Holy wow!"

"I didn't know that's what it was called!"

"Well, it's 'flaying' when it's people. Did you confuse it with that?"

"...Maybe." Now he was definitely blushing from embarrassment. "Whatever! Less talking, more cutting!"

"Aw, but where's the fun in that?" Still, I did go back to cutting. While snickering, of course. Grado shot me dirty looks, but I ignored them. And I _really_ ignored them when I noticed something interesting. "Oh, hey, think I found a former doorway." I pushed aside some of the vines and stepped into the sudden opening. Inside were more roots, some mold, a lot of dead plants, couple of animal skeletons… not a lot of things inside, until I got to the back. That's when I made a huge surprise. "Books?" I tiptoed over and immediately began hunting through. Most were… well, calling them 'muck' would be a kindness. After all, some were so water damaged that they were basically bound bits of mold and mildew. But a few were still mostly intact, and, even better, they were legible! "Grado, can you bring my pack in here?"

"Sure?" There was a bit of cursing and the sound of tripping, but eventually, Grado did come inside, looking around. "Wonder if this was a storage place." He held out my pack, but I tapped the floor by me to indicate that he'd place it there instead. I was not holding old books with one hand. I was already pushing it by not wearing gloves for these. Raphaela would pitch a fit if she knew. "We'd have to do a lot of cleaning, but I think we could use it for the same."

"We'll need to check the temperature and whatnot once we get things clear, but rain has definitely gotten into here." I knelt down and dumped everything out of my pack, mostly just medicines and tools for plant cutting, and used the spare towel I had to carefully 'soften' the pack before moving the books in. Carefully. "Ugh… I wish I had more cloths…"

"Why are you… nope, never mind. I'll just move your stuff to my pack." He stepped out briefly to snag his and then sat down to do just that. "What were you planning on doing?"

"Leave them and come back?" It wasn't like this place was hard to find or anything. "This might give us some information about the fortress! Or about why it was built in the first place! Or just about life during that period!" I grinned, practically bouncing. I only didn't because I didn't want to damage the books.

"Oh… kay… then…?" Grado smiled awkwardly and finished putting my things in his pack. "I would be more worried about being tracked."

"By what?" It took me a moment to remember that there _were_ dog-like demons. "Oh, the demons? _Can_ they track?"

"I don't… never seen that happen." He shrugged, standing and shouldering his pack. "But, well, there are humans and _they_ track, so…"

"Wait, what?" Well, that knocked me clear out of my 'yay, history!' mood. "Humans?"

"Yeah. Traitors are the worst." He smiled bitterly, but it dropped when he saw how surprised I was. "Did you… not have traitors or something?"

"I mean… there are some of us who were betrayed prior to arriving in the desert, but…" I hid my unease by checking the books were carefully secure in my pack. "If you mean traitors in Zada… well, who would they betray us _to_?"

"The Demon King? I mean..." He shrugged, physically groping for words. "I'm sure he'd love the easy way…" I couldn't help but snicker. "Uh…"

"I think I mentioned it when we first met, but we desert folk are a collection of the unwanted, the hated, the abandoned, and the forgotten. We have the natives who none remember even after they offer their help. Babies and toddlers left to the wilds for whatever reason. Children of demons like Kas and me, who escaped, or like Sierra, who survived the fires. Thieves and whores who were chased out of their villages to leave more resources to 'proper folk'. There's even a few murderers, but those were mostly out of self-defense." I looked at him with a wry, bitter smile of my own. "Honestly, given how long it took for that flying demon to show up? I don't think even the Demon King wants us. He's just tired of the blindspot in the sands."

"So, no one…" He frowned a bit, as if the concept was foreign to him. I wondered how many betrayals the army had suffered. "None of that really explains…"

"It's the _desert_. Zada is the only functioning city." I closed my pack and picked it up gently, making sure to support it with both arms. "Only those in the desert know how to navigate the sands. Where the oases are. How to survive. You have to go a very long way to reach the lands beyond the sands. Because, as I said, not even the Demon King wants us. He's got no fortress or anything." I made sure to look him in the eye. "So, who would they betray us to? There's no one who wants us. That's why most of us ended up in the desert in the first place."

"The more I hear about the desert, the more it sounds like paradise."

"Should freak you out with stories of the flash floods, and the dangerous wildlife." It was apparent that in many ways, we had lived quite the blessed life in the desert. "It's not _perfect_. We have to work hard to survive. Takes a lot of work to farm, for one thing. To hunt. You risk getting mauled by crocs by just fetching water. There's illnesses, and all the problems that come from extreme temperatures." Though I'd give anything to be dealing with that right now. I wanted to go home. "And we do still have some crimes. Mostly from new arrivals who can't trust us yet, and mostly petty things like stolen food, but they do happen."

"Mostly?"

"We had a rape a few years ago. Ishmael banished the rapist for it." And both Kas and I had kept a distant eye, to make sure he wouldn't hide and sneak back. So, we saw him die. Idiot forgot how fast hippos could be. "But, really, ignoring the whole power of love and kindness, hurting the people who know how to survive in a harsh environment is just stupid."

"Did you just say 'power of love' with a straight face?" He actually laughed at that, which made me scowl. "Seriously?"

"The love Kas and I have for our people is the whole reason we left the desert to find information. Pretty sure we told you that." And it was the love our people showed us that allowed Kas and I to heal. "Ah, never mind." I sighed, not wanting to argue. For once. "But anyway, no, we don't have traitors. I'm confused why you all do? Since, you know…"

"We had one turn a few weeks before you showed up." His eyes darkened with pain as he remembered. "Always thought him a good man, but he suffered a few big losses shortly before. Lost his twin sister, lost his wife, lost his best friend… I guess he turned because he stopped caring anymore." He shrugged and smiled bitterly. "You all can't be the only ones who don't care if the world burns, right?"

I had no reply to that. I wished I did. It would've made me feel better.

* * *

"You couldn't have replied with 'hey, I only don't care if it means my loved ones are safe'?" Kas asked dryly, hanging upside down from the wall. "Hand me that, will you?" He pointed at a tool on the ground, and I tossed it up to him before using a rope to swing to the other side of the wall we were attempting to reinforce. "But seriously?"

"Felt wrong," I answered, bracing my feet against the wall and keeping an eye on my grip on the rope. Falling from here would be uncomfortable. "We feel that way because we lost loved ones, but we still had each other. We had Ishmael."

"That person, whatever the hell his name is, still had friends. Still had his comrades." He sat up and crawled over to the spot he was fixing, frowning in concentration. And his face was super red from hanging upside down as he had been. "He didn't lose everything. There were still things to protect."

"Would we have thought that if we didn't have Ishmael, though?" Certain that I was secure, I began carefully checking the condition of the wall, determining what was an actual crack and what was just some dirt or moss or something. "If only one of us survived?"

"If I'd been the only one to survive, I would've let the villagers kill me." He sat back on his heels to fix his ponytail before going back to work. "I was only able to move that day because I had you to focus on."

"You're the only reason I survived that day." I still remembered it. The heat of the flames. Oliver's small, sweaty hand pulling out of mine. Turning to scream at him. Hearing the loud _crack_ as the ceiling collapsed. The equally loud _crash_ as the timber hit the ground. The blood that seeped out from under the rubble. "I would've died in the flames. I froze when Oliver died." Because it hadn't been right. It hadn't been fair. He'd only been four.

"But at that point, we would've been _alone_. That man hadn't been." Kas moved to the next spot to do the quick repairs. "But I suppose if the people he loved let him think he was alone… well, not going to say it was their fault or anything. Everyone is responsible for their own choices."

"I wonder if it was…" If it was like the argument I'd had with Urien. Where everyone was so used to it? But, then again, Valni had a horrible loss recently too and no one… ah, I had no idea. "No, never mind. I lost the thought."

"It get trapped in your wooly head?" Kas looked back to grin at me. "You do gather a lot of wool there."

"Better than having an empty head like you!" I scowled at him and he only laughed. "Oh, whatever. How did we even get on that conversation anyway?"

"You were sad, and I was worried."

"That's right…" Satisfied with this part of the wall, I rappelled down to check the next section. This would be so much better if I had gloves for this. "So, what do you think of the fort?"

"Near as I can tell, the layout is similar to Zada, complete with mildly confusing layout and circular path to the centermost rooms." He crawled to another spot. "If we can shore things up, and get some replacements for the rusted metal, I think it'll hold up well."

"Bit worried about a cyclops." But if it _was_ true that all the demons were made from human corpses, it stood to reason that there weren't that many of them. Those things were freaking huge, after all. "But it's not like the demons know how to use a battering ram."

"Exactly. Pressure by numbers is another worry, but they'd be all congregated in one spot. Perfect targets for spells."

"True, true." That had been part of our theoretical strategies for monsters, just in case. "Well, let's make sure to do our part. I think we're the ones with the most experience at fixing walls here."

"Yeah, I can't wait for the rest of the army to get here so that I can stop." He leaned back and I winced when I heard his spine pop. "Okay, ow…"

"You okay up there, old man?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

Kas and I continued to work, and then traded off with Grado and Valni, who were the next on the 'rotation' or whatever we called it. We gave them our reports and headed off to do whatever was next for the day. In my case, I technically should've had a break, which I'd planned on using to spend time with Myrrh, but Urien asked if I'd instead come with him to fetch water from the river. Latona was supposed to, but one of the civilian children got injured and she had to tend to that instead. So, off Urien and I went into the woods, hiking to the river. And that was when I learned a pretty noticeable difference between us. Back in Zada, 'fetching water from the river' translated into 'forage too and have a bit of fun', and I'd brought a basket to help with that. For Urien, however, it apparently was a straightforward phrase. Meaning I _definitely_ baffled him.

"Oh, look! Mint!" I laughed, taking off my boots and jumping onto one of the rocks. Then I jumped across a few more to reach the other side, where there was some mint growing. "We can make tea from this! That'll perk us up!" I hopped back across the rocks and set the mint carefully in my basket before wading in a bit. "Let's see…"

"Are you sure you should be wading in?" Urien asked, eyeing the water warily. He awkwardly held both the bucket we were supposed to be using and my basket. "It looks deep?"

"It's not that bad. For me, at least. Tad more worried about rocks, but… ah!" I climbed back onto the rocks and hopped along downstream. "Watercress!"

"How do you recognize them so quickly?"

"Kas and I had to eat wild plants while running, so things like this stuck. More than squirrels, at least." I looked over my shoulder with a grin, and I saw him pick up my shoes and my basket and carried it with the (still empty) bucket. "Besides, it's not like we don't have aquatic plants in Zada. Oh, what I wouldn't give for some lotus root right now."

"Lotus?"

"It's a type of flower, but the roots are super edible, and they're pretty!" I began picking my way down the river, jumping from rock to rock while keeping an eye out for any interesting plants. "If we ever get some, I'll cook some up for you."

"I… sure?"

"Look forward to it!" I noticed a change in the current and looked to the side to discover why. The reason turned out to be pretty obvious. "Ah, so the river splits off into a little stream here?" I jumped over to it, and found it was much shallower. And it would be more accurate to say 'the stream met the river' based on where the water was flowing. "Interesting. This might be good for cleaning smaller things." But, more importantly, I could easily wade here and the water was delightfully cool.

"And now you're walking _in_ the water." Urien joined me before long, still carrying my shoes, my basket, and the still-empty-bucket. "Why?"

"It's fun!" I grinned at him and waited for him to set everything down. "So… dodge!" And without even thinking about it, I splashed him. He yelped and stumbled back, before looking at me weirdly. It took a second to realize why. If he'd spent so much time in the army, then maybe he… "Oh, I guess you never really splashed about a stream to have fun, have you?"

"I… don't remember doing such a thing." He shrugged. "I wouldn't say I never played or anything, but it was always within the camp. Just in case there was an ambush." He frowned then. "But why would you?"

"Because it's fun." And I was rapidly learning that all of them were severely lacking in what I'd call 'fun'. "Here, at least-"

"There you two are!" For some reason, Latona emerged from the brush right then, whining wordlessly when the branches tried to steal her skirt. There weren't exactly paths here. "You two were taking longer than expected, so I came to look for you," she explained when she saw both Urien and me looking confused. I supposed no one planned for Urien and me to go on a foraging adventure. Only Kas would've thought of it. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything…" I began. But I trailed off when I noticed how tired she looked, no doubt from the healing. Tired, tired, tired. They were all just so worn. I didn't think I'd _ever_ seen them 'not tired'. "Actually, no."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you two need a break." I grinned at her and bent down to splash her. "So, it's break time now. Time to play."

"There's no time to play!"

"All work and no play makes Jack a broken and sad boy." I splashed her again, and caught Urien in it too. "Come on! Try and get me! I bet you can't!"

"I… you…" It was interesting watching her face. Exasperation, conflictedness, competitiveness, guilt… so many expressions. But it settled on determination. "I wouldn't be sure about that!" And Latona slipped off her shoes and jumped into the water with me. "I used to be good at this!"

"Let's see if you can re-learn, then!" I shrieked with laughter as I just barely dodged her first 'strike'. She was way faster than I thought! "Whoa, there might be something to that boast!"

"I warned you!"

"You haven't won yet!" I skipped back and saw Urien standing awkwardly off to the side. "Hey, Urien, don't just watch!" I snagged him by the arm and tugged him forward. But since he hadn't been expecting… any of this… he didn't resist like I'd thought he would. So, both of us ended up falling, landing with a loud splash. "Oops." And him on top of me, thanks to momentum. "You okay?"

"I am so sorry!" he yelped, scrambling up. He then held a hand out to me. "I…"

"For what? I'm the one who pulled you, remember?" I laughed brightly, having fun. He stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "But look, you're already wet now, so shoes off! You and I can team up against Latona until you get the hang of it."

It took a bit longer to convince Urien, but between Latona and me, we convinced him. By the time we were tired out enough to head back, Urien was smiling and laughing just like us, though every once in a while, he'd stop and get a 'is this really happening?' look on his face. But he kept on smiling and Latona was laughing, so I still considered it a victory!

* * *

For some reason, Valni had freaked out over how soaked Urien, Latona, and I were when we _finally_ returned with the water. Myrrh had pouted when she learned that we had been playing, though she'd been placated by the promise that she could play with us next time. The civilians, who I still didn't know the names of, gave us weird looks. Grado was confused. Kas laughed and laughed, though he quickly got a brew of mint tea going for all of us. And with the tea came us going about our business until dinner and sleep, with the only change being me doing laundry a bit early. It felt only fair, since it was my fault that Urien and Latona's clothes were messed up. Myrrh helped me, so that we could finish by dinner and from there, we found our various 'rooms' and slept. It should've been a peaceful night. Kratos and Nike shrieking proved that wouldn't be the case.

"Ugh… why can't ambushes happen at a reasonable hour?" I groaned, stumbling about the room to at least grab my weapon. Myrrh yawned and attempted to go back to sleep. "No, no, Myrrh. We need to get up."

"Don… wanna…" she mumbled, burrowing deeper under the covers. I plucked her out from them, though, and found her cloak to put around her. "Sleepy…!"

"I know. Demons are so inconsiderate, aren't they?" With the cloak around her, I picked her up and finally snagged my lance. "Come on. Let's find out what's going on."

She mumbled something and dozed against my shoulder while I wandered the halls, trying to find someone. Almost everywhere I checked was empty, at least until I made it up to the walls. There, I found a rather strange sight. Valni was kicking and screaming, and nearly blackened Grado's eye when he picked her up to prevent her from jumping off the wall. Latona was near, trying to calm her down, and Kas stood off to the side, petting Kratos who perched on his shoulder. Kratos was the one who spotted me first and fluffed out his feathers to let Kas know, and Kas turned to smile at me.

"There's a human down there with the little group of demons," he explained, pointing down. Sure enough, there _was_ a human. There were also a couple of the dog-demons, some skeletons… nothing too serious. Even though the gates still needed work, they should hold up for this number. "Cover Myrrh's ears. Valni is cursing up a storm."

"I think she's asleep." Still, I did make sure at least one of Myrrh's ears was pressed against my shoulder. "Where's Urien?"

"Securing the civilians."

"Makes sense." I nodded to Kratos. "Nike? Zelus?"

"They're with the civilians too, to act as a alarm for them."

"Also makes sense." I returned my attention to the human below. "So, who is that?"

"Don't know yet. Unless his name really is all the creative curses."

"Orion." Urien's voice was far too quiet for the amount of anger and hatred he put into that one word as he joined us at last. "His name is Orion," he whispered, everything about him seeming like ice. Even though she was barely awake, Myrrh whimpered and curled more into me. "A traitor."

"Ah," I replied, because I couldn't think of anything else to say. I glanced over at Valni, who was still screaming, and remembered she'd told me that she lost her fiance not long ago. Grado mentioned a 'recent traitor'. Not hard to piece that all together now. "I'm guessing he's responsible for Valni losing her fiance?"

"The bastard gutted Thantos right in front of her, taunting them both as he bled out." That was a little… much. Kas agreed, and immediately headed over to that group to help with Valni. "I guess it's time to return that _favor_."

"I understand, but you're scaring Myrrh." I wasn't sure why I said that. It was just the first thing that popped into my head, and the words flew out before I could even think about them. "See? She's trembling." She was trembling rather badly actually. I almost set down my lance so that I could hold her with both arms.

"...Ah…" To my surprise, that did calm him. A little. At the least, he wasn't as icy. "I'm sorry, Myrrh." He reached up like he was going to pat her back or something, but hesitated. His hand hovered awkwardly over her before he abruptly turned away and walked over to where the others were. "Orion! So courteous of you to show your face! Saves us the time to hunt you down!"

"Ah, there's the glorious warrior Urien!" the man below, Orion, laughed. There was something off about him. Not in looks or anything. Those were typical. Tired yet handsome face, brown hair and matching eyes… perhaps a bit thin, but nothing too noticeable. But the way he moved was just too… fluid. Far beyond graceful, it was as unnatural as the 'fluid' movement of a shattered arm. And there was something just… _cold_ about him. Like he sucked the warmth and life from his surroundings. "Was wondering where you were! You're rarely far from Grado. Why the camps like talking about you two!"

"I could care less about gossips," Urien deadpanned. Now that he was talking, Valni seemed to have calmed down some. At the least, she stopped trying to break Grado's nose and held still enough that Latona could tend to the black eye and busted lip he had. "If you're going to try and bait me, you don't need to. I'm going to rip out what little heart you have left no matter what you say."

"And there's the viciousness. Always a glory seeing that. But I see an unfamiliar face with you!" Orion turned his attention to Kas, since Kas was standing next to Urien. Kas waved when he noticed. "Red hair and red eyes… has the army enlisted the help of demons to combat demons?"

"Who better?" Kas quipped, perfectly nonchalant. I was glad for it, since _someone_ needed to be calm over there, and I was focused on Myrrh. She was whimpering and shaking so badly that she shook _me_. I… something else had to be scaring her. Surely Urien couldn't have shaken her this badly. "So, you're the traitor I heard about? Interesting." He glanced at Grado and, when Grado nodded, lofted Kratos up into the air, sending him back inside for some reason. "Hey, question. What did that bloated corpse of a king promise you?"

"Who says he promised me anything?" Orion grinned, and it just looked wrong. Too wide, and showing too many teeth. But it wasn't like when a predator bared their fangs. It didn't look like a threat. More like a child pulling too hard on a doll's face. "Maybe I just want destruction galore?"

"If that is so, then I pity you." Again, Kas said the words absently, showing no emotion at all. But it was interesting to see Orion's face morph into surprise. But then it… twisted briefly? I had no other way to describe it, but it almost looked like he was about to cry, but then there was a glare and… I didn't even know. "It's very painful, losing people. I know that well. But so did your friends. You should've gone to them, instead of isolating yourself. You would've seen that there is still beauty in the world, if you had."

"...You speak quite wisely for a fool."

"I speak the words I was taught, and I was taught by a very wise man." He shrugged. "But it makes sense, yes? A single thread is weak, but weave it together with others, and not only do you have something strong, you have a beautiful masterpiece." I remembered Ishmael teaching us that. I couldn't remember what had prompted the lesson, but I did remember it. "I am saddened that you did not learn the same lesson."

"You're mocking me…!"

"No, I speak only the truth." Kas glanced behind him, smiling. And that's when I heard the horses galloping. "But Kratos is back with the mounts in record time. Glad we haven't quite gotten the stable doors fixed yet."

"Kas, I could kiss you," Grado laughed. He still held onto Valni though, even as her pegasus swooped into view. "Hang on, hang on. You don't have a weapon. You're not fighting without one."

"Ah, conversation to distract? Yes, I suppose that's a tactic that would only work on something like me," Orion murmured. He frowned a bit, visibly annoyed. "And you have a fort. Where did this even come from? I thought they were all gone."

"Not all. And we're going to kill you before you report back to your master, dog."

"I have no master." He chuckled, and it grated on my ears. "None at all…" He looked away, unbothered by the change of events, and his gaze fell briefly on me. And then he froze. He completely froze, jaw dropped and everything. "A manakete?" Myrrh looked up and I saw she'd started crying from fear. "What's a manakete doing here?" He slowly smiled, genuinely elated, and I clutched Myrrh. "Well, what luck! I think I'll take her off your hands."

"You'll have to kill the gods before you lay one hand on her!" I snapped. And I was already moving, heading for the stairs. "Myrrh, it's okay. It's okay." I couldn't run very fast, or gracefully, while carrying her, but I did have a bit of time. Hopefully. "It's going to be okay."

"What is he?" she sobbed. She clung to me with all the strength she had. "What is he? He's so dark! It's like he's eating all the light!"

"Then we'll pop him open and let all the light out." There were footsteps behind me. A quick glance… a quick glance showed it was Orion. How the hell had he…?! "Freaking hell."

"Evelyn?"

"You'll be fine." I made a couple of sharp turns to hopefully buy myself a few more seconds and then found a room with a good, secure door. "Lock it and find a place to hide within." I set her down, and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right here. I just want the door between you and him. Don't want to get your pretty shirt dirty."

"But…!" She sniffed and hugged me. Then, surprisingly, she pulled out the little charm Urien had given her from a pocket on the shirt. "Okay…" She gripped it tightly and nodded. "I won't open it until you say so!" And she shut the door. I sighed in relief when I heard the lock click into place and she scampered away. Then I stood up and got into a stance, just as Orion came into view.

"You're here faster than I expected," I whispered. I shifted to get a little more balanced. "What happened to the others?"

"They're busy with my pets," he replied, with a shrug. He then held out his hand to me. "You know… if you just let me have the girl, I'll let you live."

"You can't seriously think that'll work, right?"

"It does, sometimes." He smiled and, just like before, it was unnaturally wide. "Not you, though. You've so much blood in your soul that it stained your hair and eyes. Someone like you doesn't know how to stop fighting."

"You speak so wisely for an idiot." And since his guard was down, I decided to strike. Lunging forward, I put all my strength into the blow and was rewarded with the sound of cracking bones and ripping flesh. I'd skewered him, right through the chest, and the sounds showed that I'd broken a rib or two to get his organs. That sort of pain… it should've sent him into shock. Gasping for pain. But...

"Well, that's troublesome." But he just stood there like I'd done nothing. Even through I could _see_ the bloody lance tip coming out of his back. "You're better than I thought." He pulled himself down the lance and though I could distantly think of things I could do, like kick him, I couldn't get my body to respond to any of the thoughts. I was frozen. "Such a shame you're a human." He caressed my cheek with surprisingly gentleness. "Don't worry, though. I'll take good care of the girl."

Even if I could've reacted instantly, there was no way I could've avoided the spell. Not at that range. It hit me hard and I went flying down the hallway, hitting the ground and rolling, picking up scrapes in addition to whatever else I suffered from the actual spell. My blood puddled under me and I gasped for breath before coughing up even more blood. Very distantly, I heard something clang and roll and I struggled to lift my head to see what it was. My vision was blurred, so it took a moment to realize it had been my lance, because Orion had ripped it out of his own body. Blood spilled down and stained his shirt, but he didn't react at all. Instead, he was trying to open the door. Trying to get… to where Myrrh…!

"Hey, bastard…!" I growled. Despite slipping in my own blood, I managed to stand up. "I told you… that you would have… to kill the damn gods before you got her…!" I spat out blood and stumbled forward. Anger and fear flooded me, numbing me up. I would not fail. I would not fail to protect her! "You're a long way off from that!" I made it to my lance and kicked it up to my hand, almost dropping it but managing. That was when my vision finally clarified and I noticed Orion just staring at me in shock. "What? Did you think that one blow would kill me? Did you really think you won with that?" I spat out more blood and settled into another stance, glaring at him with all the anger and hatred I had ever felt. "Sorry, but I survived a mad dash through the woods and survived the desert sun." Carefully, I picked my next target. I had no idea how long this second-wind would last, so I had to make this quick. So, if the chest didn't work, then… "Like hell someone like you is going to kill me!"

I lunged forward, pushing off the ground with all the strength I had. Much faster than he expected, since I was more than halfway towards him by the time he reacted. But even then, he put his 'guard' low, near his chest. But that wasn't my target. Instead, as I got to him, I bent low before surging up and slamming my lance right through his eye. His skull cracked at the force, and my lance emerged from the back of his head in a spray of blood and brain matter. Should've been instant death. Or near instant.

"Bothersome." But no, somehow, someway, _the fucking bastard was still alive_! "Already finding it hard to move properly," he complained. His lone, intact eye focused on me. "I suppose you'll do for a replacement." Something black bubbled up onto his skin, beading together like blood. "Would've been more interesting having you as a warrior, but we must be adaptable, yes?" And the black substance suddenly _leapt_ from his skin and onto mine. I flinched automatically, letting go of my lance to try and scratch whatever this was off. It burned. It burned and clawed. I could _feel_ it trying to wriggle under my skin. "...Wait, what's this…?" He frowned at me, his lone eye narrowing. My lance was still skewered through his skull. "There's… no crack in the soul…? How…?" He growled and there was more pain, but I somehow managed to get my fingers under the black _thing_ and I threw it at him. "Tch…!"

There was a large pulse of magic then, and it sent me clear off my feet. I hit the wall hard, and I struggled to breath as the pressure rose dramatically, like I had a hippo stepping on my chest. Black-purple fire slowly emerged from Orion's body, twisting and curling into some sort of demented shape with wings and horns and a long tail. The fire lingered for but a moment before flying through the hall, escaping through a window. The pressure lightened as soon as it did and I scrambled up and staggered over, watching that fiery shape disappear into the horizon.

"...Thank… you…" A raspy voice made me turn, and I saw Orion still standing. That lone eye was crying now, and his smile was sad and tired, but natural. "Thank you…" he whispered again, before collapsing, falling onto his side. The tears on his face continued to slip down, mingling with the blood pooling underneath him. And he still smiled.

What the _fuck_ just happened?

* * *

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I saw what I saw!" I snapped, far past annoyed now. Latona poked my nose in silent rebuke, before continuing to bandage me up. All of us were set up in… some random room. It just happened to be closest to where I'd been bleeding out. "You can check the corpse if you want!"

"Evelyn, easy," Kas pleaded, squeezing my hand. He'd been holding it ever since he found me in the hall, refusing to let go for anything. It was similar to how Myrrh was curled up in my lap, clinging to my leg. "You've stressed your wounds."

"Sorry…" I sighed and used my free hand to stroke Myrrh's hair. I didn't think she was asleep, but her eyes were closed. "But I'd think I could come up with a more believable lie."

"She has a point," Valni pointed out. She was rebandaging her leg, having been bit while helping Grado with some of the dog-demons. "It's a weird as hell thing, and not something you'd just make up out of nowhere. Sure, you can excuse the chest wound, sort of, but the head?"

"But it's preposterous!" Grado complained. He _had_ been dozing on Urien's shoulder, but sat up when I started explaining what happened. "If he'd been a revenant, sure! But revenants don't talk!"

"Right, which is why I say she _did_ see what she see. Because why would you even think of it?"

"It doesn't make sense!"

"But it's true," Myrrh suddenly whispered. "The person who talked didn't 'own' the body." She slowly sat up and clung to my shirt. "I don't know who they were. Both that person or the thing that stole it." She shivered and I pulled her into my lap, holding her as tightly as I could with Latona still getting me bandaged. "But it was a bad thing. It heard the discordance in that person's heart and reached inside the cracks to shatter the spirit. Then it slipped in and wore the person's face as a mask, their body as a costume. All while the person's spirit was slowly devoured as food, one piece at a time." Her voice cracked and she began crying. I kissed her hair and rocked her. Kas let go of my hand to rub her back. "There was barely even a speck left…! But I heard it! _I heard them!_ They were screaming so loudly! They were so relieved when the thing left and they could finally die!"

Silence fell, broken only by Myrrh's sobs. Latona finished bandaging me and then sat down next to me, watching as Kas and I did our best to calm Myrrh. We only really succeeded in getting her to cry _quietly_ , but it was a bit of an improvement. Sort of? Not really. The worst thing was that all I could do was hold her.

"Urien, you have your 'oh, I think I pieced together something horrible' face," Valni complained, after a moment. She narrowed her eyes and stretched her legs out to rest in Grado's lap. "Go on. Just tell us."

"Well, it's just a thought," Urien began slowly. He was absolutely expressionless by my eyes, but perhaps that's what Valni meant. "But based on what Myrrh said…"

"Just get on with it."

"Well, it's a very… dark ability." Urien carefully looked everyone in the eye. Latona gasped, covering her mouth, figuring out whatever the hell he meant. "A _demonic_ ability." ...Oh. Oh no.

"Fucking hell, that was the Demon King," Grado breathed, cutting right to the heart of the realization. He raised a shaking hand up to his head, like he had to physically hold it together to keep it from breaking. "That's how he's… taking people over, taking people _with political power_ over…" Valni's eyes were wide and her complexion became an ashy-grey color. "Well, that's… quite the tactician, huh?" Urien remained expressionless. Kas was stoic. "And quite unkillable." The words were uncomfortable, but I could see where he was coming from. That shadow had simply fled, after all. How did you kill something that didn't have a body? There had to be a way, but… "Ha… we truly are doomed, huh?"

"Like hell we are," Kas _instantly_ countered, the words fierce and determined. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and made sure to look everyone in the eye. Most of them just looked like they thought he needed to be checked for a head injury. "Don't you get it? We just learned what he does. We know his preferred tactic. And there's not a single magic in the world that doesn't have _some_ sort of counter. All we have to do is research."

"And just when do we do that?!" Valni snapped, glaring at him. I was curious about everyone else's reactions, but I instead focused on Myrrh, who was still crying. And why wouldn't she be? She basically heard someone die and she was just a child. "We're fighting an immortal for our lives!"

"Nothing is immortal. Everything that lives, dies. Everything that exists, changes. Even the mountains wear away with time." Kas continued speaking in that fiercely determined tone, and I could only smile, because I knew he was right. "But who says _we_ have to do the research? We desert folk have all sorts of things from ruins and whatnot. All of which is in Zada."

"...Wait, what?"

"Ruins. There's a bunch of them. Sand is strangely good at preserving things. Had a dried up husk of a corpse drop on my head once." Kas grinned, warming to the topic, and I noticed that the others were staring again. "But there's a bunch of things we've salvaged over the years. I know Ishmael would research _for_ us."

"That's… uh…"

"A-and there _are_ old churches and whatnot that no doubt have old texts too," Latona hesitantly whispered. She pretended to check on my injuries to have an excuse to not look at anyone. "I think… well, we do have a fort. And it seems to hold up? So, we have a safe… ish… place to gather things like that?"

"That _is_ true," Urien whispered. He was thoughtful now, focused on some spot on the ground while he thought. "We already know it's impossible to truly hold the line, but…" He sighed and shrugged, standing up. "Well, stranger things have happened. Like these two." He pointed to Kas and me. I couldn't tell if that was an insult or not. "Why not? What do we have to lose?"

"That's true." Latona smiled bitterly. "Might as well take the leap. Dying from dashing ourselves on the rocks isn't much different from dying by being ripped apart. And we definitely have our backs to the cliff."

"Impossible things happen every day," I murmured, smiling at Kas. He winked in return, no doubt remembering Ishmael saying the words. "And if you give up, you definitely won't succeed. Like with the civilians we saved." I turned my smile to all of them, hoping it was reassuring. "I think you guys _do_ need rest, though. Seeing him probably ripped open a lot of old wounds."

"I quite agree with that," Kas added, standing up. He briefly took Myrrh from me so that I could stand up too, and then helped me keep Myrrh's cloak around her when I took her back. Myrrh, for her part, was asleep. "Bia… wait, no, Zelus. We have Zelus. I'll send him to Ishmael."

And that was, apparently, the dismissal everyone wanted, though maybe Kas was just in a hurry to send the letter, since he was the first one out. The rest of us more or less scattered from that point, not wanting to stay in the room. I had to move more slowly because of my injuries, and because I was carrying Myrrh, but I wasn't alone. Urien walked with me.

"You and your brother are so strange," he murmured with a slight smile. "Hearing that information and immediately finding some hope to it."

"It wouldn't be so strange if you heard Ishmael's lessons," I joked, smiling at him. Myrrh mumbled something in her sleep, and curled more into me. "Ishmael was always quick to remind us that impossible things happen all the time."

"And those 'impossible' things don't include immortality?"

"Well, they _could_ , but if you thought that, then you'd just give up. And we're not giving up. Not after all of this." I thought of what Myrrh said, way back in the camp, about how we kept on fighting. "So, if that doesn't exist, then there has to be a counter. Simple, really?" I frowned when he chuckled. "That better not be you laughing at me, mister."

"No, of course not." He sounded far too innocent. "How's Myrrh?"

"That is not a subtle subject change." Still, I turned my attention to Myrrh and held her a little tighter. "She cried herself to sleep. Not surprising, really." I wished I could magically make everything better for her, but I knew I couldn't. I could only do what I could. "Where did the others go?"

"Latona went to check on our civilians, while Valni and Grado decided to go on a patrol." He stopped in front of my room and opened the door for me. He then helped me take off Myrrh's close. "I think I'll join them. Do you mind if I borrow Nike?"

"Make sure Kas is with you when you ask, but no, I certainly don't mind." I tucked Myrrh into the blankets and sat beside her. "I don't want to risk Myrrh waking up without anyone here."

"Of course." He smiled. "Get some rest yourself, okay?"

"Only if you all do." I waved him goodbye as he closed the door and decided to lay down to sleep too. I was exhausted...

But when I closed my eyes, I saw Orion at the end, as his 'real self', smiling and crying as he thanked me. I had a feeling I wouldn't forget _that_ any time soon.

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn; Eve_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _A bit confused by what the Demon King meant by there 'not being a crack' in her soul, but thinks it might be because despite her anger and her past, Ishmael helped her heal and taught her how to move past the anger and how to love more than hate_

 _Though she normally does her best to hide it, she adores going through ruins and learning about history, even if she never bother asking about the language the songs are in._

 _Kasimir; Kas_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Sword_

 _Truthfully was shaken by the revelation about the Demon King, but he refuses to give up and he refuses to simply accept that something is doomed. Even if there's less than one percent of a chance, he's going to take the gamble_

 _A bit amused that he ended up as the 'calm one' during the confrontation with Orion, though he completely understands how that happened. After all, he was the only one who didn't have personal history with Orion_

 _Myrrh_

 _4(?) years old_

 _Thoroughly shaken by what she 'heard', and worried because so many of the army have the 'discordance' and 'cracks' that make them susceptible. She wishes her parents were here, because she knows they would've known how to keep everyone safe_

 _During the entire battle, she clutched the charm tightly and whispered every prayer she could think of. She's glad that it worked, but she's scared it won't next time, thanks to how bloody Evelyn ended up_

 _ **Army**_

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _Because the army is more or less all he knows, he has a particularly dim view of traitors, particularly traitors who hurt or kill the few friends he has. However, it's rare that he yells when he's that angry, growing cold instead_

 _Gradually just accepting that both Kasimir and Evelyn will do weird things, because how they grew up was just so different. But he can't say that he's not also growing fond of the antics_

 _Valni, Lieutenant-General_

 _18 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _Thought she'd feel better after Orion's death, but the knowledge that it was the Demon King just makes her feel even emptier and she wishes Latona hadn't saved her that day. Then she'd stop hurting_

 _Purposely made Grado's favorite foods for dinner to silently apologize for hurting him when he was just trying to keep her from getting herself killed. Thankfully, he caught the unspoken words, knowing her well enough by now_

 _Grado, Lieutenant-General_

 _22 years old_

 _Weapon: Axe_

 _Completely baffled at how Kasimir could come up with some sort of 'plan' so soon after that, and isn't really convinced that they have a chance. Still, just sitting around waiting for the end doesn't suit him. It's why he joined up in the first place_

 _Since he was the one who found Valni that day, he tries to keep an eye on her, knowing well that she's still hurting. He's fine if it gets him hurt, so long as she stays alive._

 _Latona, Healer_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapon: Staff_

 _Found herself backing up Kasimir less because she believed in his words, but more because her loyalty means that she automatically tried to assist. Still, she's pretty proud of herself for coming up with a reason_

 _Because she's the healer, she's the one in charge of the civilians, making sure that they're well and comfortable. It's not her preferred job, but she does enjoy being able to help_

* * *

Author's notes: And the big bad makes his appearance! I thought it would be an interesting way for the group to learn the Demon King's trick.

Fun fact: kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine and the jelly made from the flowers is said to taste similar to grape jelly. Bees will harvest the nectar as a last resort during droughts, and the resulting honey is a red or purple honey with low viscosity that tastes like grape jelly or bubblegum. That all said, because it's considered an invasive species and obnoxious weed, it's often sprayed with herbicides, so… yeah.

Also, technically, kudzu is native to Eastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the Pacific Isles and was introduced to the US in 1876 (and introduced to the South in 1883, where the climate let it grow like wildfire). It's pretty fascinating to read about how it spread and all, but it's known as the 'plant that ate the south' for a reason (and has apparently started spreading to Canada as of 2009 and has been a problem in New Zealand since 2002 or before). ANYWAY, that little diatribe is really just me saying that since Fire Emblem is technically 'European' in setting, kudzu probably shouldn't be here, but neither here nor there.

Next Chapter - Forward


	7. Chapter 7) Forward

Chapter 7) Forward

* * *

 _It has been a strange few days. Found a fort, learned about traitors (okay, more like I learned people side with the Demon King for whatever reason), met one of the traitors… who turned out to apparently not be a 'traitor', but the container or something for the Demon King. Did he not have a body of his own or something? Whatever the reason, we learned just how he's been able to do all that he's done. The others despaired, but Kas pointed out that we did have resources. Records of ancient times… surely there must be some way to stop the Demon King from taking people over. And if we can figure that out, then we stand a chance at winning this…_

 _Not bad, considering the whole 'fell through random whole' and 'nearly dying' things. Now we just had to put it to use._

* * *

It was hilarious when the army arrived and they saw the fortress for the first time. The slack-jawed shock was everything I could've hoped for and more. Though, it didn't remain funny for long because some broke down crying over the fact that for the first time in gods knew how long, they had a potential 'home' that a breeze couldn't knock down. Some fell to their knees and began praying. Others just collapsed because they had no other reaction.

"Mother!" Though, there were a few who jumped on reunions, mainly that boy I had seen dragged away and his mother. I couldn't help but smile as they hugged each other tightly, with her kissing his hair. That sight, alone, would've made going back worth it for me, even if there hadn't been a fort or… anything else we had learned.

"Some days, I can't decide if the gods love or hate you, Evelyn," Raphaela joked, skipping up to lean on my back and hug me. Despite the cheer, her eyes were serious. "I'm sorry about Myrrh. I clearly should've worded things better with her."

"Well, Kas and I did underestimate how attached she was to us," I pointed out. Still wasn't quite sure why, truthfully. "Anyway, off. You're heavy."

"Are you saying I'm overweight?!" She stepped back with a huff, crossing her arms and sulking. For all of a second. Then she grinned again. "But seriously, what a freaking find." She pointed to where some of the other desert folk were inspecting the walls. "How did you find it? The note didn't say."

"Well… uh…" I coughed, trying to delay the inevitable, and looked about for a convenient distraction. But there wasn't one really. Couldn't even use Bia, because she had flown to Kas's shoulder for pets. And he would be no help either, because he was giving the others from the desert preliminary reports on the state of things (where repairs were and the like and all). "...Myrrh and I fell down a hole? Into a tunnel?"

"You… what." She stared for a very long second, no doubt waiting for me to tell her I was just joking. But when she realized I wasn't, she howled with laughed, clutching her stomach and nearly falling over. "Holy hell!"

"Oh, shut up!" I flushed from embarrassment, and from the weird looks we were getting. Gods damn it, Raphaela! "Whatever. I've got to find one of our scholarly folk. We found some old books and the like."

"Wait, you did?!" She immediately stopped laughing and clung to me to whine. "Evelyn! Show meeeee…!"

"Not after that, I'm not!"

The two of us 'bickered' for a while longer before I relented and showed her the room where Kas and I had stored all the interesting finds we had so far. Swore even Ishmael heard her squeal of delight, but I couldn't _really_ blame her because who knew how old they were? And it wasn't like she was alone in the room either. Kas must've told some of the others because they were all excitedly (yet carefully) going through and cataloguing what was there.

I might have even joined them, but Grado snagged me instead for a meeting. Why a meeting? Well, at some point during this welcoming chaos, Urien had quietly told Mikael about our suspicions concerning the Demon King. So, of course, Mikael wanted to discuss it with us. After all, it was… well, it was a blow to the stomach, even if we had ways to get back up again.

"While I did expect you all to run into some sort of trouble by breaking off, I have to admit that this exceeds expectations," Mikael began, leaning against the wall. There were no tables or chairs here, yet, so the rest of us clustered in a semi-circle around him… at first. Then we decided that wasn't for us, so Kas and I leaned on a different wall while petting our hawks, and Grado stood against the door to make sure it was closed, while Urien stood nearby, just in case someone needed us. Valni and Latona got out of this due to patrolling and healing respectively. Luckies. "It's certainly a… actually, words fail me, so I'm not going to bother summarizing it besides it's bullshit that he's done this to us." Mikael sighed and I bristled, thinking he was dismissing it. I saw what I saw, damn it! "Can't even go with a straight fight. The coward." ...Uh…

"Clarification needed," Kas requested, raising his hand. He glanced at me, and I smiled slightly, glad that… well… he had thought the same. "You believe us?"

"Yes…? Oh, hell, that wording made it…" Mikael groaned and Grado snickered. Urien quickly hid a smile by ducking his head. "This is why I leave the talking to others. Yes, I believe you. It's too outlandish to not believe. I just think he's a bastard for going at us this way." That did lead to an interesting question. Why? It seemed a bit convoluted to me, personally. Was it his way of toying with us? "Makes me wonder how many traitors in the past have truly been him. Not all, of course. But…"

"No doubt some. Might have even instigated the original war that way."

"Might have indeed." Mikael sighed and ran a hand through his hair, focusing entirely on Kas and me now. "Urien told me about your theory, Kasimir, and how you want to enlist the help of your fellows in the desert. I agree with it. Otherwise, we'll just have to lay down and die, and we've fought far too long for that." Mikael closed his eyes and Kas and I exchanged slightly sheepish looks. Guess we were supposed to _wait_ before sending the message to Ishmael? Oh well. "But I am curious about something. Logically speaking, whoever kills… mmm… word, word…"

"Why don't we go with Vessel for right now?" Grado suggested lightly. Based on how serious his eyes were, you never would've guessed he had questioned my report too. "But I think I catch your thought. Logically speaking, whoever kills the Vessel would, in turn, become the next one. We think he attempted that on Evelyn…" Ah, I caught the thought too.

"He was surprised and mentioned something about there being 'no cracks'," I explained with a shrug. I didn't quite know what it meant, but I did remember what Myrrh had said about the hearts and whatnot. "I'm taking that to mean that my heart, my spirit, is whole. My past sucks, but I've scarred." Oh, I hated the people who killed my family. I was angry that it had happened, felt horrible guilt at surviving. But I also loved, and I loved far, far more than I hated. I had more joy in my life than sorrow. Ishmael made sure of that. "There's no open wound for him to 'slip in'."

"Building on that, we might want to think of him as an infection?" Kas mused, tapping his cheek as he thought. That is, until Kratos headbutted his hand to insist for pets. "If you've an open wound, then infection can set in. But I, at least, never heard of a scar getting infected without some other complication. Like another wound or something." He frowned, casually scratching Kratos under the beak. "If you take into account that the people most likely to go after that Vessel would be people who felt particularly hurt by the 'betrayal'..." They would've had very large 'cracks' in their hearts.

"That does make some sense," Mikael agreed, nodding. I glanced over at Grado and Urien and decided that they were literally here just to make sure Mikael didn't offend us and to keep things secret. Otherwise, it might as well have been just Mikael, Kas, and me. "So, if our theory is true… well, regardless of whether it's true or not, if not for you all, we might have never figured it out." Mikael smiled tiredly at us, and Kas and I tried to not squirm. This wasn't something you should be praised for! "Ha… one day, I'll figure out why those of the past didn't accept your help. The supplies alone have saved us quite a few times."

"...Well, we did have ten extra years to stockpile things?" What were we supposed to say to that?

"Well, that _is_ true." Still, Mikael chuckled, bitterly amused. "Regardless, it'll be best that we keep this quiet, for now. I don't want people turning on each other in paranoia. We can't afford it."

Thankfully, that was apparently a dismissal as Grado opened the door and stepped out, waiting for Kas before snagging him and dragging him off for something. Urien escorted me out, with us leaving Mikael behind. I glanced back curiously, wondering why, and saw Mikael had closed his eyes again, no longer standing up straight, but slumped like a wilted plant. I almost called out, but Urien shut the door behind us and quietly shook his head.

"He likes to be alone when he thinks of the dead," he explained in a whisper. We both walked down the hall, just to get away from the room. "Always has."

"I suppose…" I replied just as softly, trying to not frown. The idea of being alone just… didn't sit right with me. But, I _did_ recognize that everyone mourned differently. "Perhaps that's what drove that weird praise."

"You and Kas got quite embarrassed, didn't you?" Now he was teasing, and I scowled at him in return. "Ah, but that reminds me." He took my hand and gently kissed it. I knew I went red. I knew I went very red, actually. "Thank you, by the way."

"This is the second time you've done that." When he let go of my hand, I hid both behind my back. I wasn't going to ask why he was thanking me. I didn't want to blush more. "Is there a custom I should know about?"

"The first time was because my father once told me that when you were very thankful to a lady, you should kiss her hand." He turned away, casually tossing the words over his shoulder as he walked off. I tried to think of _why_ that would be a thing. "That time was because your reaction is fun."

"Urien, I swear to the gods…!" I glared and even stomped my foot, but he just laughed and kept walking away. "Little…!" Of course, I had to cover my face with my hands, because I was blushing badly. Both because of the action and then… well… embarrassment… gods, if Kas or Raphaela saw, I would be-

"Well, well, that's suspicious~!" And, of course, there was Raphaela, humming as she half-leaned on my back. I knew without looking she was smiling like a lynx. "Anything you want to tell me, dear Evelyn~?" she half-sang, giggles making the words waver. I mentally groaned because of all the times… "I'm all ears~!"

Kill me now.

* * *

"Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere~!" Myrrh had a rather nice singing voice for a little girl. And, perhaps more importantly, she was absolutely _adorable_. Even if her small size meant she wasn't all that helpful. "Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share~!" Well, all that helpful for _cleaning_. It terms of keeping spirits up? She was the absolute best. Despite being at this for a few hours, at least, I still had a smile on my face.

Ignoring the ache in my arms, shoulders, and back, I cut the vines away from the walls to check the stone underneath for any signs of weakness. Myrrh… attempted… to clear away the vines but often just dragged them all over the place because she kept forgetting she held them. Sierra and Latona, meanwhile, were seated in the middle of the room and doing their best to identify the plants and what uses we had. I mean… there were a _lot_ of plants. If nothing else, we could use them for fertilizer or something.

"I think we can use these flowers for tea," Latona murmured, showing Sierra the flowers she'd pulled off the vines. Sierra nodded enthusiastically, hiding a smile behind her hand. "I wonder if we can use the leaves for something… oh, what I wouldn't give for some sort of plant guide right now. I don't recognize them."

"Perhaps we can… ask around?" Sierra briefly suggested. However, both she and Latona immediately grimaced, for different reasons. Sierra was shy and… ah… despite the good fortune, there were still people who thought Latona was a bad luck charm. "Evelyn?"

"Sure, I'll ask around for you," I reassured, moving to the next 'section' of vines to cut. These were relatively easy to cut, at least compared to the kudzu outside, but wow, there was a lot. Almost felt bad about it, but seriously… we could practically make clothes for the whole army with just what was in this room! "Set them in a pile, and I'll handle it later." Or get someone like Grado or Urien to do it. Or Kas. If they weren't busy.

"Thank you…" Sierra smiled in relief, though again, she quickly hid it. She was still getting used to how the scars felt on her face. And the bandages. I really wished we'd been able to save her eye, but the skin there had been seared shut or… something. "Myrrh? Don't take things from… this pile here, okay?"

"Okay!" Myrrh chirped, pausing in her singing to beam at Sierra. She then tilted her head curiously and dropped the vines she had been 'cleaning' to run over and hug Sierra. "Hug time!" She laughed and hopped over to hug Latona too. "Oh, these flowers really are pretty!"

"She is so… sweet," Sierra murmured, scooting a little away so that she didn't end up accidentally being stepped on. I moved to some vines closer to her, guessing she was talking to me. "Even with my… she isn't scared."

"Myrrh knows that you are a kind and gentle person, Sierra," I reminded her, pausing in my cutting to smile at her. I wanted to say something like 'you do not look scary', but… well, while that was true for me, the bandages and burn scars had caused many in Zada to stare. Some children had even run away from her, especially those first few days. Add in her own self-consciousness and poor self esteem… "I think she's got a special power like that. 'Hearing' a person's true character."

"I think it is a little… wonky."

"Nah, she likes Damion too. Calls him 'sad, but strong and nice'." Just yesterday, in fact, I had Damion babysit her while I climbed up the walls to help with some repairs, and the two had spent the afternoon with Myrrh excitedly telling him stories. "And, well, you know how attached she is to Kas and me." I went back to my cutting, knowing that Sierra would prefer me to not look at her for these sorts of things. "I'd like to think I'm a decent person."

"You're a wonderful person, Evelyn. I'm just…" She trailed off, and I waited for her. Myrrh's excited questions to Latona, and Latona's quiet answers filled the silence. "Children of demons… where did that even start? Why?"

"Best guess is obvious difference and the need for a scapegoat to run away from responsibilities." My default answer and what I'd believe unless someone I trusted showed me otherwise. But this wasn't a good conversation for her and me. "So, subject change to… uh…"

"Finally freaking found one of you!" Valni grumbled, stomping in suddenly and providing that distraction we'd needed. I stopped cutting to look at her, and both Latona and Sierra did more or less the same thing (save, you know, 'stop cutting'). Myrrh took that as a sign that she should go back to 'cleaning', complete with her singing. "Oh, not fair. You get cuteness while you work."

"It's because I've been a good girl and thus, get my treats," I instantly deadpanned. It got a laugh out of her, and smiles from Sierra and Latona. Myrrh remained oblivious to it. "So? What's up? You've been looking for someone?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. Briefly. Before the wood cracked under her. "The hell?!"

"Language. There's a little girl around, you know."

"She's heard worse!" She scowled and I snickered. "Okay, reminded that wood rots. Got it."

"Yes, like most non-stony things."

"Shut up." She scowled more, and I smiled innocently. "Anyway, anything I need to know about Damion?"

"Damion?" Well, that was a bit of a surprise. I wasn't aware the two even knew each other, and a glance at Sierra showed she was confused as well. "Why?"

"Got assigned to go looking for anything we can use to repair the walls around here, and Mikael paired us up." Valni sheepishly looked away. "Figured it… ah… might be good to try to not make a complete ass of myself?"

"Well, he's mute. So, either make sure you have plenty of paper or… actually, no, just make sure you have paper and ink." It would probably be better for Damion himself to explain the 'writing on hand' part. "Other than that, just do your best to be polite."

"He'll be… wary, but please, don't take offense…" Sierra added hesitantly. She ducked behind me when Valni focused on her. "When I was burning… the other villagers held him down, so he… distrusts many. But you're Evelyn's friend, so you should… be fine."

"Just don't take it personal if he's all tense and stuff?" Valni asked. She smiled when Sierra nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best. And if I mess up, I'll… do my best to apologize too." She winked and dashed off, no doubt to prepare for her assignment.

However, that didn't mean we were left without a visitor for long. "Hey, Evelyn?" Kas poked his head in, carrying a stack of papers. The return of the army meant the return of paperwork for him. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, gesturing to the hall. With a shrug, I nodded and joined him outside, making sure I took my knife with me. Sierra and Latona went back to their classifying. "Sorry, wanted your opinion on something."

"Kas, you know I don't mind," I reassured, patting him on the back. I then eyed the papers warily. "So, something with those?"

"Hmm? Ah, no. Not yet, at least." He grimaced at them and I wondered if they were as dry and boring as the ones I'd read through before. "It's our people. They want to hold a Session."

"Right now?" I frowned and crossed my arms before leaning on the wall by the door. "Much as I love them, there's a lot to be done still. _And_ it hasn't been that long since we've had one." You didn't want to bother the gods too much. The prayers would lose meaning, or so we were taught in Zada.

"I know, so help me with a compromise?"

"Yeah, sure. There's a task we can do for Latona and Sierra while we debate." I pointed to the room and the massive amount of vines still there. Seriously, it was like the earth had just vomited all over… oh, wait, that was a gross mental image. "Help me with cleaning first, though. It'll give you an excuse to not do paperwork and you can listen to Myrrh singing. It's _so_ cute."

"Well damn, bribe me, why don't you?" He grinned and kissed my cheek. "Thanks."

"Always."

* * *

The compromise Kas and I eventually managed to work out was actually very simple. Hold a party instead, when we got the 'basics' done. That meant when the main part of the fort was clean and the walls were declared 'fit'. It was the absolute minimum and there was a lot more to do (freeing more of the buildings from plants, reinforcing gates and doors, etc), but it was good to celebrate having the basics. And a simple party was just having fun. Mikael agreed and it had apparently been quite a while since the army had a proper 'party'. Well, sort of proper. We had to be more careful with the food than we would've in Zada. But hey, there was lots of beer, so it was almost like home anyway.

"Looks like we're still good on food," I murmured, eyes scanning over the 'tables' (really just random boxes and barrels pushed together and covered with blankets) where we had foods set up. It was mostly just fancied up rations, and I thought longingly of the foods we had at Zada. Candied dates… oh, my mouth watered just at the memory. As in I had to quickly cover my mouth to hide how I was drooling. "Okay, drinks… drinks…"

I probably should've just let sleeping lynxes lie, but I wanted to be sure we didn't run out of anything so that everyone could focus on having some fun. Besides, it was easy to run around and fuss because Myrrh wasn't with me. She was with Kas, stubbornly trying to stay awake despite her constant yawning so that she could keep watching everyone have fun. Kas, for his part, was sitting by the wall with Myrrh in his lap, sipping some beer while chatting with Sierra. Sierra was still hesitant about joining in on festivals, due to her bandages and scars, and I knew Kas was making sure she didn't feel lonely. After all, Damion wasn't with her. Why? Well, it was Raphaela's fault. She had stolen Damion for a few dances, as a means of getting him to relax a little.

Though at the moment, Raphaela wasn't dancing with Damion. Instead, she was having fun dancing circles around Grado while he attempted to not get tangled in his own feet. So, I hunted around for Damion and eventually saw that he was with some others from the desert, listening to them talk and occasionally writing his responses. I was surprised he didn't return to Sierra's side, but glad for it. I knew Ishmael (and others) encouraged the two to branch out a little more. The people of Zada had done the same thing when Kas and I first arrived there. It was hard to heal when you were alone, after all.

The thought made me smile and I looked about the army, gladdened by how brightly they smiled and how vivacious their laughter was. Though, the noise was a bit of a worry. After all, we knew that the Demon King knew of this location, and loud noises would mask an army's approach… or so I thought. Then again, there _were_ guards on watch. Mikael led them, and was the only one who wouldn't switch out with someone during the night. Said something about how it wouldn't be right if he asked people to skip out on partying without also missing it. I supposed it made some sense, though I did question it. After all, how could a leader truly _lead_ if they didn't experience everything their people (or soldiers) did? Both bad _and_ good?

"Then again, it's worked so far for him, so I'm just being silly, huh?" I whispered to myself before shaking my head. Then I was right on back with my checks, starting with the drinks that had been bothering me earlier. When I reassured myself that we were fine on that front (still had everything from beer to tea to water), I decided to look for others I knew and it was fairly easy to find Latona and Valni. They were on the edges of camp, eating and gossiping about something with warm smiles. I was glad that they were having fun because I could easily see where others in the army gave Latona a wide berth. Not even a party could get them to relax enough to see the idiocy of a person being 'bad luck'...

Urien, however, proved much harder to find. I actually had to go and wake Nike from her slumber in order _to_ find him, because he was a distance away from the main grouping of the party, hiding in the shadows of one of the buildings to just watch everyone. At first, I was annoyed by how antisocial he was being, but when I got closer, I saw him frowning in confusion and mentally cursed myself. If the army hadn't had a party in a while, and he had spent most of his life _with_ the army, then…

"So, is this your first party?" I asked, lofting Nike into the air and joining him. As she flew back to the 'aviary', Urien looked over at me curiously. "You seem baffled."

"I don't think I've ever seen the army so lively," he replied, indirectly confirming my suspicion. I found that sad, but he seemed unbothered. Save for that confusion. "There's been songs around a campfire, of course, but nothing like this. It's a bit disconcerting, really."

"Clearly, we need to have more parties. It's good for morale to lighten things up." A slightly mischievous idea wormed its way through my head, and I had to grin. "So, I'm guessing you've never really danced, either."

"No…?" He frowned at me. "I have a bad feeling, suddenly."

"Nothing _that_ bad!" I laughed and took his hand, pulling him out of the shadows. "Come on!"

"I… uh…" He stumbled a bit as I kept on pulling him. "I'm… really not confident about this…"

"Of course you aren't. No one is, when they first start a lesson." And for that reason, I made sure we didn't actually join the others. Instead, I just pulled him until we could use the moonlight and torchlight to actually see. "Now here, I'll show you the steps."

Urien was a very hesitant student, but by the end of the night, he and I managed to complete a dance at full tempo, so I dubbed the lessons a great success. ...And it _may_ have been payback for the hand kiss thing. Just a little.

* * *

 _ **Family**_

 _Evelyn; Eve_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _When it comes to any sort of social event, she often starts fussing before long and running around to make sure everything is well, even if she didn't plan it to begin with. The sole exception to this are Sessions._

 _While no stranger to flirtations and the like, she can get flustered quite easily when someone pulls an unexpected thing. The first time she got a love letter, for instance, she got so flustered and stressed out that she actually broke out into hives_

 _Kasimir; Kas_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Sword_

 _During parties, he makes a point of spending time with the people on the edges, making sure they don't feel lonely or, worse, unwelcomed. It suits his more laid-back nature_

 _Wonders if there is a way he can request people to make their reports more… personalized or something. Swears that the words just blend together after a while_

 _Raphaela_

 _21 years old_

 _Weapon: Dark Magic_

 _Considers it her duty as a 'sister' to tease Evelyn relentlessly whenever there is a whiff of romance in the air. Before she developed a crush on Kasimir, she did the same with him_

 _Though she dislikes the more scholarly parts of magic, she absolutely adores history and jumps on any chance to learn, especially from old books_

 _Myrrh_

 _4(?) years old_

 _Does her best to help out with practically everything, though she's… not all that good at most of it. However, she doesn't care because the attempt means she gets to stay close to everyone_

 _Wanted to stay up at the party not just because of the fun, but for the first time, the songs in everyone's hearts weren't discordant and she wanted to keep on listening_

 _Damion_

 _19 years old_

 _Weapon: Bow_

 _Gained a severe distrust of… just about everyone after what happened to Sierra, since among those who pinned him were his own family. He only followed Evelyn that day because she had red hair and red eyes, like Sierra_

 _He dislikes socializing, not just because of the distrust but because of the awkwardness that can result due to his muteness, particularly when people try to force him to speak (and just cause anxiety). Still, he does appreciate people's attempts to reach out despite this_

 _Sierra_

 _18 years old_

 _Always shy and self-conscious, the widespread burn scars and extensive bandaging she uses to try and cover them exacerbated both traits. Not helped, of course, by how some ran away from her, even in the 'sanctuary' that was Zada. The day she started trusting Evelyn and Kasimir was the day when she overheard them scolding some children for being mean to her because of her injuries_

 _Large groups of people make her terribly anxious, because she always remembers the crowd that surrounded her as she burned. That said, she does want to be close to people, leading her to simply remain on the fringes, watching._

 _ **Army**_

 _Mikael, General_

 _54 years old_

 _Weapons: Axe, Swords_

 _Often wants to be alone when he's tired or upset because all of his friends have passed and, honestly, he's too busy to make new friends._

 _While on watch, tried to remember the last party he'd seen, much less attended, and the last one he could remember was Gabriel's wedding_

 _Urien, Lieutenant-General_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapons: Sword, Lance_

 _Though familiar with some games and campfire stories and songs, something like an outright party is beyond his experience. In his memory, the army was always tired, wounded, and screaming from the numerous battles_

 _He knows that he probably shouldn't tease Evelyn, but how free she is with all her reactions is honestly just too much fun to watch. He's not used to someone being able to be so lively for so long_

 _Valni, Lieutenant-General_

 _18 years old_

 _Weapon: Lance_

 _Really trying to keep things working between the army and the desert folk, particularly since she made such a bad first impression. And second impression. And tenth impression, really. ...She knows she has a lot to make up for._

 _Hadn't ever attended a party like that before, though she had attended balls. Nobility and all. She made sure to tell Latona all the pranks she used to pull on guests, to make sure Latona had fun._

 _Grado, Lieutenant-General_

 _22 years old_

 _Weapon: Axe_

 _Doesn't understand dancing. At all. Sure, he gets that it's fun for people, but the whole 'move in time to beat' thing? Can't figure it out for the life of him. Which amuses people because it's not like he's clumsy on the battlefield or anything._

 _Often sits in on meetings with Mikael to play diplomat, juuuuust in case. It's saved Mikael a punch to the face numerous times._

 _Latona, Healer_

 _20 years old_

 _Weapon: Staff_

 _Finds that she loves explaining and teaching what she knows, though she wonders if it's because of a love of teaching… or because it means people are interacting with her. Regardless, it makes her smile._

 _Does her best to ignore how people ignore her in the army, since she DOES have people who like her. Still, it can wear heavily on her heart, which is why she's glad for friends who can make her laugh. Like Valni and her stories._

* * *

Author's notes: Oh, look, the army is back together again. Yay! The song Myrrh sings is… actually, truthfully, I think it's from Barney? Either way, it's not mine, but I could imagine her singing it so clearly, soooo yeah? Just a bit of a lighthearted chapter considering what happened last chapter. (Though hives can be a sign of an allergic reaction, they are also known to appear in response to stress/anxiety.)

Also, as a note, there's going to be a timeskip between this chapter and the next. Fairly certain you don't want to read multiple chapters of them repairing the fortress, after all!


End file.
